Please let it stick this time
Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Colorado
Posts: 3,781
My hangovers and withdraws at the end were pure Hell!! I had to have it to feel normal.. I never believed that it was a progressive disease until I lived it!!
My AA group is about 10 minutes away and we have about 48 meetings a week.. It's like a club house to me.. I always stop by and have a cup of coffee and BS with the fellowship and attend a lot of meetings..,don't have to but it keeps me grounded and sober..
That's great you have a group within walking distance, take advantage of it.. Best hour and 2$!you'll ever spend!
Wishing you the best! Thanks for your post!!
My AA group is about 10 minutes away and we have about 48 meetings a week.. It's like a club house to me.. I always stop by and have a cup of coffee and BS with the fellowship and attend a lot of meetings..,don't have to but it keeps me grounded and sober..
That's great you have a group within walking distance, take advantage of it.. Best hour and 2$!you'll ever spend!
Wishing you the best! Thanks for your post!!
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 705
Day 8 and feeling pretty lovely. I went to a music and theater festival in downtown LA on Saturday . I had not planned on going out but was going a bit stir crazy being inside my apartment all week.
When I got there I started thinking that I wish I had a drink and then I was like "Oh ****, I made a mistake, should have stayed in". Then, I told myself "This is nothing more than your AV talking, you DO NOT want a drink. Drink makes you sad and scared!!" And that was the end of it. I ended up having a really fun time and actually got to enjoy the performances and not be thinking about getting a harder buzz going. It was a great night. It also showed me I have to be very careful tho still. The absolute anxiety of the first few days are gone. As horrible as those feelings of fear, shame, and sadness are, they sure are good motivators to keep one sober.
But, my resolves stands firm. Posting here keeps me accountable too. Thanks all! Hope you all had a great weekend.
When I got there I started thinking that I wish I had a drink and then I was like "Oh ****, I made a mistake, should have stayed in". Then, I told myself "This is nothing more than your AV talking, you DO NOT want a drink. Drink makes you sad and scared!!" And that was the end of it. I ended up having a really fun time and actually got to enjoy the performances and not be thinking about getting a harder buzz going. It was a great night. It also showed me I have to be very careful tho still. The absolute anxiety of the first few days are gone. As horrible as those feelings of fear, shame, and sadness are, they sure are good motivators to keep one sober.
But, my resolves stands firm. Posting here keeps me accountable too. Thanks all! Hope you all had a great weekend.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 705
Day 10 
. It has been pretty easy so far, aside from the occasional, fleeting wish for a drink, I really have felt great. My first real test will be this coming weekend. I admit, I am nervous for it.
I have a friend and her boyfriend coming to stay with us for a night as they apartment hunt in our area. I am excited to see them, but these are people that we would drink with till the wee hours of the morning, laughing and talking. Those are the times I miss drinking. I wish I could just be able to do that and then go back to real life like a normal person. But, I cannot. I have proven over and over and over again, that if I get a period of sobriety and then think I can drink for one evening, I immediately go back to daily drinking. Every time.
I realize I am romanticizing the drinking, but I am just trying to stay honest. I am NOT going to give in this weekend. I will continue posting in this thread to hold myself accountable.
Happy Wednesday all!!
. It has been pretty easy so far, aside from the occasional, fleeting wish for a drink, I really have felt great. My first real test will be this coming weekend. I admit, I am nervous for it. I have a friend and her boyfriend coming to stay with us for a night as they apartment hunt in our area. I am excited to see them, but these are people that we would drink with till the wee hours of the morning, laughing and talking. Those are the times I miss drinking. I wish I could just be able to do that and then go back to real life like a normal person. But, I cannot. I have proven over and over and over again, that if I get a period of sobriety and then think I can drink for one evening, I immediately go back to daily drinking. Every time.
I realize I am romanticizing the drinking, but I am just trying to stay honest. I am NOT going to give in this weekend. I will continue posting in this thread to hold myself accountable.
Happy Wednesday all!!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: UK
Posts: 508
I wondered if you have thought further along the upcoming weekend than 'I shall NOT drink'
Might be a good idea to have alternatives available to drink/chat or something else to save the discomfort you may feel, like another option or something?
Great job on staying accountable and racking up those days....
You deserve this life free from the horror of addiction
Driving my wagon of hope through beautiful views on my road to myself
Might be a good idea to have alternatives available to drink/chat or something else to save the discomfort you may feel, like another option or something?
Great job on staying accountable and racking up those days....
You deserve this life free from the horror of addiction
Driving my wagon of hope through beautiful views on my road to myself
Forum Leader
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
CelticZebra has some great points...have something else to drink available and have an "out" if need be. Remember it's your place so it's perfectly acceptable for you to not have any alcohol on hand or even ask that you do something different than drinking into the wee hours with them.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 705
Good points indeed. I will definitely have my diet coke on hand. I am pretty much only drinking water right now so that will be my "treat." I plan to tell them that I am just not drinking right now. I am not sure if I will say I am just doing a cleans or if I am outright quitting, but I don't expect to be met with too much pressure from them. Tho they definitely do drink, I was always the one pushing for more and more booze. We are going out to dinner and they will probably have some drinks then which is fine, I can handle that. I suppose if they wanted to they could bring a six pack of beer back to my place because A. Beer never really tempted me to begin with and B. wtf am I supposed to do with 1 or 2 beers? Enjoy the taste? Such nonsense. lol
Really tho, it should be ok. I am actually glad that I have a bit of fear. Normally, I would just think "meh, I'll be fine" and then drink and then continue to drink or "I'll just drink for this one night" and also continue to drink.
Really tho, it should be ok. I am actually glad that I have a bit of fear. Normally, I would just think "meh, I'll be fine" and then drink and then continue to drink or "I'll just drink for this one night" and also continue to drink.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 3,163
Love your posts.
Glad you are ready for your friends visit. The potential problem with the cleanse excuse is that a cleanse is breakable.
In the old days, if I was down to see a friend after ages and they told me not drinking cause I am on a cleanse, I would have said, what is that for BS -- I am only here for a night, cleanse tomorrow...
Jus saying, be ready.
Don't let your AV think this is a sliver in the door, because that snake will crawl right thru..
Glad you are ready for your friends visit. The potential problem with the cleanse excuse is that a cleanse is breakable.
In the old days, if I was down to see a friend after ages and they told me not drinking cause I am on a cleanse, I would have said, what is that for BS -- I am only here for a night, cleanse tomorrow...
Jus saying, be ready.
Don't let your AV think this is a sliver in the door, because that snake will crawl right thru..
You can have reasons, or you can have results, but you can't have both.
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Syracuse, NY
Posts: 1,232
So, do you have a plan for IF memories of the good ol' days start to tug at you, or you feel the urge?
How honest can you be with them? Would they understand and support you if you said you're no longer drinking? And that it's REALLY important to you, like the most important thing you've ever done?
Where I'm going with this is... Is it necessary for them to stay up late getting hammered right in your face? Or could you guys share dinner and a few drinks (virgins for you), and then they go barhopping alone and come home when they were done drinking for the night?
I'm just trying to think a little outside the box here.
How honest can you be with them? Would they understand and support you if you said you're no longer drinking? And that it's REALLY important to you, like the most important thing you've ever done?
Where I'm going with this is... Is it necessary for them to stay up late getting hammered right in your face? Or could you guys share dinner and a few drinks (virgins for you), and then they go barhopping alone and come home when they were done drinking for the night?
I'm just trying to think a little outside the box here.
Life Goes On
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 6,069
First of all, good job on 10 days.
I'm sure it didn't feel like a "flash" to you, but it does get easier with more days in your pocket, doesn't it?
I'm thinking further outside the box than SiS is - can you just straight out ask your guests not to bring alcohol into your home? If they ask why or you feel compelled to say why, you can say quite honestly that you are staying away from drinking right now (for any reason you pick - health, diet, sobriety) and don't want any temptation.
I'm sure it didn't feel like a "flash" to you, but it does get easier with more days in your pocket, doesn't it?
I'm thinking further outside the box than SiS is - can you just straight out ask your guests not to bring alcohol into your home? If they ask why or you feel compelled to say why, you can say quite honestly that you are staying away from drinking right now (for any reason you pick - health, diet, sobriety) and don't want any temptation.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 705
Well, I think I can be pretty honest with them. Really, she is more my husband's friend than mine as they went to high school together and we have only met the bf a couple times, nice guy. I am sure they will notice I am not drinking at dinner because, hey it's me, why the hell AM I not drinking?! lol. So, as dropsie pointed out, the whole cleans thing might be tough to dance around so I think I will just say I am trying to quit. It's the truth and I am not at all ashamed of it. If anything, I think it will make the night easier.
The idea of them just going bar hopping is certainly not a bad one. I definitely wont feel like I am missing much as I hate most bars, even during active alcoholism. And they are chill enough people to not care if they can't bring alcohol into my home. I just said they could bring a 6 pack just because I know that will not tempt me. But, really, it is not necessary and I suppose it would just be nice to know my place is entirely alcohol free, at least during this fragile time.
Doing just Dinner will be more than fine. And who knows, maybe they wont even want to drink all that much anyway. As I said, it was pretty much always me providing the 5ths and bottles of wine. I have come to realize that drinking was always far more important to me than it was to the vast majority of my friends.
It will be nice to no longer be thought of as the "drunk one".
The idea of them just going bar hopping is certainly not a bad one. I definitely wont feel like I am missing much as I hate most bars, even during active alcoholism. And they are chill enough people to not care if they can't bring alcohol into my home. I just said they could bring a 6 pack just because I know that will not tempt me. But, really, it is not necessary and I suppose it would just be nice to know my place is entirely alcohol free, at least during this fragile time.
Doing just Dinner will be more than fine. And who knows, maybe they wont even want to drink all that much anyway. As I said, it was pretty much always me providing the 5ths and bottles of wine. I have come to realize that drinking was always far more important to me than it was to the vast majority of my friends.
It will be nice to no longer be thought of as the "drunk one".
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