MB8

For any of you planning a trip to Disney world trip anytime soon and are inside 6 months and plan on making Epcot one of your stops.... DON'T DO IT!!!!!!! WOW. Disney world. Major trigger???? Who'd have thunk it? So my youngest turns three and we have the bright Idea of taking her to Disney. Well we picked Epcot cause it wasn't as busy. Bad idea. I'm quite sure I was the only person in the entire park not drinking. Beers everywhere!!!! People were doing jäger shots for god sake. So you can stop in every country and try a beer from each one. Why didnt they just take a sharp pencil and jam it deep into my eye. Would have been way less painful. I'm rolling along just great and thinking I got this thing licked, and then Disney world???? Wow. Never again. Atleast not till I get substantial ally more time. I think I'll stick with magic kingdom. Booze free. Then my wife says, " we don't we get annual passes??". Sure, why don't we just get annual passes to Oreilly's pub down the street too. Really? MB8

diffingo911

Holy Crap-Olah...It just seems to just seep into Every Aspect of Our lives in North America, huh? Perhaps it's Time for a Revolution? LOL !!!!

CodeJob

MB8,

Congrats on getting through it. My RAH adored the Rose & Crown. I was just at Epcot in Feb and indeed I was very aware how alcohol has become one of the primary ways to experience the world showcase. I was not with my qualifier.

I do see the world a bit differently. All the ads on TV, in magazines, and how you can buy it nearly everywhere. I hope you still managed to have fun with your family. WDW is a pretty incredible place as there is so much to do!

freethinking

I TOTALLY agree on EPCOT. It's like one big 'round the world booze fest, especially at night!

Arbor

I'm definitely guilty of drinking a beer in every country at Epcott. I now see the sadness and immaturity of this kind of activity. Not a good example for our kids to see at such a special place.

Joe Nerv

Wow. I'm astounded by how our focus creates our reality. I've been to Epcot Center about 4 times, sober. I saw no alcohol whatsoever. Not saying it wasn't there, but when I read the first lines of this post, my reaction was... "Whaaaa?" I honestly don't remember seeing a single person drunk, or even drinking. If asked if alcohol was served in Disney parks, I'd have responded with an I don't know. Don't really remember anyone drinking there. And if someone told me it was prohibited, I wouldn't have questioned it.

joshlyman

Last time I went to Disney World I was wheeled out of Epcot by security in a wheel chair. That sucked.

I am going back in October and I cannot wait to experience it sober!

FireSprite

My RAH couldn't help but point this out when we visited last year as well - he remembered very well the trips we've had when he got "lost" in Germany at the Jager booth for hours at a time. I have to say it was much easier on our budget without all those $9 shots, lol! Believe it or not, it's a "thing" - to "Drink Around the World". I've seen people design T-shirts & go after it like they were in a championship game.

If you do decide to get annual passes, BE AWARE of the Food & Wine festival in October each year. It's the only time I've ever seen people obviously & dangerously intoxicated at Epcot. They add a ton of new drinks available at all the food stands & the weekends often turn into party central with all the locals & vacationers taking in the "spirit" of the event.

We attended one weekend night last year & bailed because there were so many buzzed people & at night Epcot is not the most well-lit park. It was not the right atmosphere for DD8 & I got sick of trying to manuever with her around a bunch of drunk chicks in the bathrooms, etc..... it was much better when we returned on a weekday & we were able to sample all of the foods we wanted to without the lines being super long with everyone waiting for their alcohol.

karate

Beer is everywhere .

Sitting at the register at every gas station I go in .

Sudz No More

I agree, it is everywhere but it is still hard when you are surrounded by it. I still catch myself glancing over at the large beer section in the supermarket when I walk in. I fear how I will feel if I visit my Wife's country because the last time I went I tried every national beer possible and took pictures of each bottle.

This is one last thing I still struggle with. I just can't be around it or my mind starts swirling.

ScottFromWI

I actually had the opposite experience when I was around Diisney. Magic Kingdom, Sea World and even Busch Gardens ( owned by one of the biggest alcohol producers in the world ) were all virtually alcohol free. I was still drinking at the time and never thought i'd make it through the day at Disney without a single beer. Even Bussch gardens only had a very select few beer stations throughout the park that were hard to find...but i sure found them.

SoberLeigh

I discovered the same thing the last time I was at Epcot. It got under my skin a bit. I found that Soarin' was a wonderful distraction - what an amazing "high" that was. I kept riding and riding, utilizing the fast pass system whenever I could and enduring the lines the other times - so much better than drinking.

SavingSelf

We did my daughter's Make a Wish trip when I was almost 4 months sober and Epoct definitely got under my skin--never realized just how many places there were to drink there. I guess the surprise aspect was what got me. If I go to a restaurant I expect to see folks drinking at their tables. Did not realize there would be booze flowing so freely at an amusement park. Made it through ok-but it did rattle me at the time. More than I wanted it to.

Rar

We attended the world food and wine festival at Epcot last year. They also served national beers and and assortment of other beverages such as margueritas. We just sampled the food since (1) the alcohol was too expensive and (2) we didn't want to risk drunk driving in an unfamiliar city with a rental car.

Johno1967

When I think about it, drinking and getting drunk was sort if like spending a day at a theme park. It's pure fantasy and escapism and grants you a moment of joy but at a cost.
Leave with an empty wallet, distracted kids, irate wife, throbbing headache and very little recollection of anything but the waiting in lines.
I could not combine drinking and theme parks. Just don't have the mental strength.

SoulSister

When the problem is removed, it won't even matter.

Drinking won't be an option.

Temptation exists as long as we have the mental obsession.

If mental obsession is still part of your life; you may want to take some steps towards dealing with the problem that centers in our mind.

The steps of AA have helped me address the problem which existed in my mind.

The problem has been removed for me, Thank God.

TheDarkKnight

I had a relapse on December 26th, and my girlfriend and I had a trip for Disney in which we arrived on Satruday, January 5th.

Our first park we went to was EPCOT on January 6th, and we both had the same thought. There really was beer everywhere. I really wasn't "tempted" so to say, we just checked to see if Rose and Crown had an N/A available. (Rose and Crown was always a big stop for my dad and I... my grandma was from Wales). Let's not mention the half hour I spent running from Germany back to guest relations since I lost my wallet in Norway... no, I was sober

To be honest, that was the happiest week I've had this year. I've always had trouble sleeping after a relapse/drinking, but with us being up early every day and being active, I never slept better. Which is odd, because one of my withdrawal symptoms is terrible insomnia.

I guess for me, my focus was on enjoying my time away with her. I didn't care if other people were drinking. I just wanted to be with her.

And I guess it comes down to knowing your triggers. For me, seeing somebody or being with people who or drinking isn't a trigger for me.

SoberLeigh

Not to mention FINDING that rental car in the sea of metal outside the park.

kittycat3

Beer is everywhere you go if you look for it..... I was at Epcot recently and had a very different experience. I was with some kids and we didn't stay very late. Now those crowds definitely had me wanting to drink but simply because of my anxiety of the masses