Happier

My father was a recovering alcoholic through most of my teen years and all of my adult life. One of the strangest things I remember about him was that while he was unfortunately terrible at family relationships, he always had several of the best freinds that any person could ever ask for. Even though he had to move often, he always found amazing friends. I mean these people would do anything for each other! When I finally asked him why this was, he said "well, it's pretty simple really, but you don't want to do it. You just have to be a drunk". He was sober at the time and I know that in this particular case, when he said "a drunk" he meant a recovering alcoholic. Come to find out most of these friends he met through AA.

I guess my point is that maybe some of your drinking friendships will ultimately fade away. However, I've got to believe that there are several much deeper, better, and more meaningful sober friendships in your future.

That being said, in all honestly, I'm struggling with the same issue that you describe. I'm not yet comfortable pursuing the AA route. If not for the support of my wife, I'd have nobody that I'd call a sober friend. I know it can happen though and I plan to keep seeking it out. Best of luck to you as well.

David 1

You have a few things going on; to me the bigger issue is trying to quit "cold turkey."

Find out if your employer has a confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
If so, make an appointment and meet with a counselor. The first 3-4 sessions should be free and you will get a better idea of what you are dealing with.

You might go through a chemical dependency evaluation to see where you are at as far as addiction i concerned.

You are in for some hard work and soul-searching but at 31, it really is time to start thinking about your health.

ps your story is pretty much like mine and I have almost 8 years sobriety.

Dave

bmwcycle

I too am in DC and it is hard to go out and not drink. It took me a while to do so and I have a great time. The "ah ha" moment for me is when I realized I was that I wasn't missing out on the good time, in most instances they (friends that were drinking) were.

I used to go to concerts to get banged up and listen to the band, I would spend half the night maintaining my buzz, waiting at the bar for my next drink or whatever and really didn't enjoy what was going on around me.

I went to the 9:30 club last week and saw a great show, Michael Franti and Spearhead, and had a blast with my friends who proceeded to get all messed up as the night progressed. The next day, two called to thank me for the ride home and to ask if they played a certain song and what time we left because they didn't remember.

It is not easy to go out and be the sober one, but I have found for me it works and I enjoy going more now that I do not have the monkey on my back that I have to feed a Vodka and Soda every 15 minuets....

Best of luck and keep us posted!!!