gaffo

An old buddy called me the other night. We don't live near each other anymore and I don't see him very often. He is married to a (forever) sober woman and "quit drinking" a few years ago, around the same time as I did. He still likes to get drunk and misses it. I told him that I don't miss it anymore, that I'd "punched my card". He seemed a little surprised by this. We used to drink a lot together. We laughed at the memory of him sleeping with my dog on the shop floor after getting hammered. He told me that he sometimes likes to get drunk alone at the house and enjoys annoying his wife and teenaged son by doing this. It was starting to feel like bragging drinking stories, which I have never liked and I was not annoyed when I had to hang up and bring my son to basketball practice.

I saw that he was trying to call me again today but I didn't have time to pick up and I haven't gotten around to calling him back, even though I do actually have some business that I need to conduct with him. I don't know why but I don't know if I ever care to talk to him again. He would not be the first person that I crossed off the list because of my sobriety but it still makes me sad. I am a very loyal friend. Oh well.

sleepie

Maybe you have grown as a person and he is a bit stuck.

Soberwolf

I had to do this too Gaffo

Dee74

I've found that things keep changing in a lot of ways...a lot of people who drifted away years ago have drifted back into my life again...

without necessarily agreeing with each other, they respect my lifestyle and I respect theirs

D

Hawkeye13

I can relate to this
I just have nothing to say to drinking stories and focus on drinking.

Most of my friends--nearly all of them really--still drink together
but even at the "yearly party" I'm still invited to I'm apart from them and lonely.

So it goes
I prefer sobriety even so. . .

gaffo

It is a relief to know that no matter what happens, I don't feel like taking a drink!