Lizard99

Hi,

Just before, I was walking past a pub and just saw a bunch of drunk young people spilling out on the street - slurring their words, stumbling, messy, yelling, intimidating and being generally rude.

It just made me realise how much I do not miss being a drunk. It makes me wonder how I used to act and look, and knowing it often got a lot lot worse than the group I saw. I'm glad I saw it tonight because it slips my mind how bad I used to be.

Do you ever interact with drunk people and find that it confirms your choice to be sober?

caboblanco

yes, it's amazing how many drunk or high people you notice when your not drinking anymore. It just makes you want to get the hell out of there and quick. I used to bartend so Ive seen enough

bigsombrero

I also notice that. It seems that so many young people over-indulge these days. Nobody looks really "happy", and some folks are just racing to finish their next pint so they can get another. I also notice that the topics of conversation are pretty low-brow. Overall it just doesn't look like much fun, does it?

laurie6781

Sounds to me like you got, what some call a "HP (God to some) Shot".

Yep, that happened to me a lot in my early recovery, just an excellent reminder
of how I no longer wanted to be.

Glad you saw 'what you were suppose to see!'

Love and hugs,

Sasha4

Oh my goodness yes!!!

I have just come back from a work conference in Europe for a week.
The booze flows fast and is free!

One woman was so drunk she was asleep on the floor in the hotel corridor.
Me, a colleague and a bloke from IT had to put her to bed.
She was on the wrong floor.
We had to drag her to the lift then to her room.
We put her in bed after undressing her and removing her jewellry.
At this point the bloke from IT looked like he wanted to die from the shame. He did not know where to look.
She has a pretty important job!
She had been slumped against him and her make up was all over his jacket.
We shut her door.
Then I realised I had left my shoes in her room. It was a black tie do and I had heels on. I could not drag her with my heels on.

I had to walk bare foot to my room.
I approached her the next morning and asked if I could call in to the office for my shoes, when we had flown home.
She was then really aggressive wanting to know why I was in her room. Then looked like she wanted to burst into tears!!

I also went to a 40th birthday. It was complete torture! The waiter mixed the food order up. You would have thought he had murdered the birthday girls mum. Poor bloke! The shouting was unbelievable. All drink related.

I have no patience for drunken people now.
I cannot stand the slobbering, gibberish behaviour.
I think to myself the next morning when I am surrounded by the living dead - pale faced, nauseous people who reek of stale drink - wow at one time I considered this fun!!

Pass me my orange juice!

Joe Nerv

I'm a musician and often play in bars. A few years back it was around 4AM, I was dead tired, and just sitting at a table waiting to be paid. I watched a guy stumble into the bathroom (door was open), kind of fall into a wall, unzip his pants and work hard at somewhat successfully making use of the urinal. He got himself zipped up, looked around, regained his balance, and stumbled out. For some reason it occurred to me like never before that his brain had been damaged. It was completely impaired. By alcohol. By choice. This guy chose to come out this Friday or Saturday night, and make himself brain damaged. Nothing more, nothing less. The same exact thing I did thousands of times. What the hell is wrong with us for wanting to do that? I believe alcoholism is a disease. I don't want to do that to myself anymore, and haven't thankfully for decades.

Xune

I avoid those situations for fear of living vicariously through them.

bigsombrero

Forgive me, but reading your post I thought you were also European! I have some friends from England and they always say "I can't believe you consider me to be EUROPEAN!", which I think is funny. Anyway, that's completely off topic, sorry for the distraction.

Sasha4

I am!
I forgot!

Its funny I never seem to describe myself as european though!

Maybe its because I always think as Europe as abroad - like where you go on holiday and not the UK as where I live it does nothing but chuck it down!!!!

Thats made me laugh tonight.
Thank you!
xx

ivegotsunshine

I was having dinner with my husband the other day sitting at the bar of the chain restaurant near where we live. It is most certainly a family type of place and the bar atmosphere is one that you eat at, have a drink, and leave, not one you get loaded at for the night.
The woman a few seats over from us was pounding beers and talking about her ex husband and the woes of raising a child with him, how hes such a terrible person... Then about her new boyfriend and how the ex is jealous of her now and he wants her back, UGH! her friend sat there and listened to her, barely able to get a word in. It was so annoying to listen to and as the story dragged on she got more and more drunk, and then came the swears.
Oh the swears! She used the F word in ways I had never heard of before.
Finally it occurred to me, THAT WAS ME!! Hopefully not the context but I have a pretty sharp tongue and I can swear like a trucker, even now being sober.
That was a tough thing to witness but I'm glad I did!

NYCDoglvr

We're either walking towards a drink or away from a drink. This is running towards a drink. Alcoholism is much bigger than we are and if you tempt it, will move right in. Remember, it isn't a rational disease. Just because other people look like a*sholes doesn't mean you won't drink. We alcoholics are loaded with denial and rationalization.

gaffo

It confirms my belief that drunk people are generally a drag to be around.

paul99

For me, I tend not to look at others who are drunk, or alcoholic, and think that I have done well and I am not like them any more. I am one drink away from living on the street, being in jail, or committing suicide. I just accept that I am in a different place, that others may just be enjoying something that I can't do anymore and that's drink socially, and to accept that those who are sick need help. But I understand where you are coming from, and it's a good feeling to be on the other side of it...but I have to stay vigilant.

desserts

I feel the same way. Sometimes when I go out I go with some old friends to bars and watch them drink as I drink some sodas. Its really weird though, when I see people drunk and drinking now, I just have complete disdain for the stuff thinking about feeling drunk and impaired and getting hung over in the morning just makes me cringe.

tammy711

I have a local Applebee's I visited almost daily when I was drinking. The entire gang at the bar knew one another. It was good fun and I always loved stopping for a few glasses of wine. Now, when I (very occasionally) stop, I still sit at the bar, but drink bottled water. I have learned to never stop in too late because my old drinking buddies are all hammered. They slur their words and I have no interest in the poor-me stories they are spewing.

I am almost 6 months sober. I am still awakening, still learning about who I am sober. I am also realizing that I have to get new friends. LOL. I haven't attempted that yet. Not sure when I will. I am a happy loner. I enjoy time by myself and if I ever do feel the need for company I have a lot of family.

I am embarrassed to think about how many people may have seen me drunk and slurring my words at that very Applebee's. As I said, it is a local place where most people go to simply eat. I've been there eating and I'll hear a raucous at the bar - a few women getting too loud with their laughter - and think, 'oh boy, somebody thinks they are having fun.' :-) I usually know them and hope they don't see me on my way out.

:- )

Grymt

It is good for me to have come to a place in my recovery where it doesn't knock me off balance to be around drunks. I can always walk away if I find it pointless and have better things to do but I don't think I'll walk away from the friends I have that struggle with it unless I think walking away may help them to realise something on their personal path.

Yet, of course, early in recovery it is absolutely imperative to protect a fragile sobriety and if it means dropping friends or whatever it takes I say do it. Not picking up that first next drink is numero uno.

DarkDays

Kinda don't mind being around drunk people, always gives my sober battery's a good charging.

flutter

I can't stand it. I also realized how rare it really is for people to be obviously drunk (unless at a bar late at night), I was drunk/drinking all the time at restaurants, sporting events, house parties etc.. and have realized it really isn't the 'norm' I thought it was!

LDT

Even after almost 2 years sobriety, I still don't like it. There is nothing "real" about conversations or actions or feelings .... No "honest" exchanges really happen between a drunk and a sober person. I'm done with the facade.

YouRmySunshine

I agree it is another version of a "Sobering Moment" when you realize you are one of the few in the room that can form a real thought, and actually realize there would be a consequence to that "One More Drink!"