Good Morning!
My toolbox. It was tested a bit on my trip to San Francisco with my son last week. You know the drill - vacation, all meals in restaurants, all kinds of tourists enjoying drinks everywhere around me. I had thoughts that a glass of wine or a beer would be nice a few times. It was weird - I so rarely have those thoughts. So I had to ask myself - why is this happening now? Especially at a time when I was responsible for the whole trip, and my kid at the same time? The worst POSSIBLE time to drink. It came down to this. Almost every time I had a thought, I was either Hungry, Thirsty, or Tired. I was tired almost the whole trip. I don't sleep super well away from home, and we walked an average of about 7 miles a day. I didn't stay hydrated like I should have. Our eating schedule got out of whack. It didn't help any that we were in California, and that's wine country. And I have a lot of memories there, a lot of them great, some not so great. A perfect storm for an alcoholic. I got through it fine, but it was disconcerting at times. I was never in any serious danger of actually drinking. I just didn't care for the frequency of the thoughts. Oh - it also didn't help that I have quit smoking recently, and had some cigarette cravings here and there, also. I have now been smoke-free for almost 13 days.
But the trip was fantastic. Nothing went wrong, except that one of the state park beaches I wanted to visit in the Big Sur area was full when we got there and they wouldn't let us in. It was still a really pretty day and drive. We did a lot of the touristy things you are "supposed" to do in San Francisco, and we also drove down the coast to Monterey (where I was stationed for a year while I was in the Army, 30 years ago), Carmel, Big Sur. The weather was cooperative most of the time. Hotels were decent, food great, my son and I got along 95% of the time.
And now I'm back at work, wishing I were retired and living on the Pacific coast somewhere in a little cottage with a garden and some cats and dogs. I really love California. I have family roots there, and I feel the pull every time I'm there. Maybe someday I can make that dream come true. Or at least spend more time there than a week. Rent an RV. Spend a month or two at a time just bumming around.
Glad to see everyone here, I stayed off the internet as much as I could while I was gone.