Originally Posted by
velma929 
I would add: I have a friend that used to be a prison guard. He sometimes heard someone about to be released remark they were going to stay out of Y town or stay away from a certain group of [former] friends.
All well and good, but for some people, a lifestyle change is what they need because every town had bad elements and bad people. For some, it won't be going to bars and not drinking, it means not going to bars. It may mean acquiring a social circle of people who don't drink, and hobbies that people enjoy without alcohol. It's a valid choice. There are people on this board who not only don't drink themselves, but will only choose partners who are abstinent, too. I wouldn't be surprised if a recovering addict made such a choice.
I have a cousin who was addicted to alcohol and drugs. He would go to rehab, clean up, then move to another city to get away from his crew. Eventually, in every city, he'd find another new crew and the addiction cycle would start all over. It's not about the location, it's about the lifestyle. I kept thinking, there are bars and drugs in city XYZ, how is moving going to solve the main issue. He'd eventually move back home, dry out, go a couple years, then relapse, then repeat the entire cycle.
I'm not an addict, but I will hang out with people who are drinking, up to a point. Once they get to that certain stage, I excuse myself and go somewhere/anywhere else. It's just not fun, they're not as clever, funny, or smart as they think.
If I ever find another relationship, I'm not sure I would choose someone who drinks, even casually. I've seen too much, been lied to and hurt so much by it, that I'd be constantly paranoid about that person's habits, every time they got a little tipsy, even if there was no indication of a alcohol problem. Also, it's funny to say with how the past few years have gone, I am so much happier now that I'm not drinking.