Originally Posted by
biminiblue 
Cityboy, you just do it.
If something feels overwhelming - walk away. Leave. Detach. Circle back to it when the thoughts settle.
We've learned to live full lives without turning to alcohol and you can too.
It adds nothing, it just wants to kill you and everything good in life.
What kinds of, "situations and activities?" I had to let go of some people who were nothing more than drinking buddies and I had to change my activities a bit for a little while until I was comfortable sober. You will find not everyone uses alcohol.
Drinking a cold beer at the end of the day is such a deeply engrained part of working out of town. It seems to give you something to look forward to. Of course a cold beer always leads to 10 cold beers and a bottle of wine.
When we go fishing, my friends and I drink astonishing amounts. These are my best friends in life and I can't just cast them aside.
Just a couple of examples.