Originally Posted by
abcowboy 
That quote really hit home to me this morning Suze because of the experience I had last night. I'm pretty lucky that Bubba and I live in an alcohol free house. The last time there was alcohol in our home was the first Christmas after I got sober. Bubba didn't want it even then, but I didn't want the kids to think they could never drink around me again. They didn't drink anything that Christmas, nor most anytime we have been together since! I don't think Bubba has had even one drink in the past 4 years, and not because she has a problem, but she says if I can live without it, so can she.
I guess that makes it a bit easier to maintain my sobriety, but I still have my moments like everyone else. Take last night for example. We loaded up Hank in the car at 5:15, ordered Chinese take-out for 6:00, then took a drive around town to look at Christmas lights. We ended up at the restaurant to pick up supper and as we drove back to the house we passed a liquor store with a Budweiser sign flashing in the window. I can't believe how strong the urge was to have a cold one with supper! It only took me a few moments to understand that I was thirsty after the 45 minute tour around town and was sure glad when I popped the tab on my Arizona Iced Tea when we got home! Even after almost 6 years, it shows that I can never get complacent about my sobriety...
Thank you for posting this Bruce.
I'm so glad you recognized your trigger for what it was!
Learning about HALTS (Am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired or Thirsty, Stressed or Sad?) saved my life. Many times I would drink when I really just needed to address a HALTS trigger. Now I never leave home without a bottle of water in my hand or in my car. On really stressful caregiving days, I also grab a soda and some chewy candies. My weight is normal and I don't have diabetes so it works for me.