maverickspoint

On day 48. So proud I can say that.
I have had no trouble this time around because my conviction from the outset was strong. I haven't been tempted once until last night.
I opened my hotel mini bar and saw a cold can of beer in there. For a few seconds I thought about how much I wanted to drink it. I don't even know why, there was just something appetising about it, maybe the scenario induced nostalgia.
Obviously I left it but it has been playing on my mind so I thought it best to write about it here.

least

You can call the front desk and ask them to take it away if it's tempting you. Next time you reserve a room, ask that the mini bar be stocked with non alcohol drinks.

Soberwolf

Excellent job reaching out Mav you know drinking just destroys everything about who we really are we have been down that dead end road we don't have to hurt ourselves no more great job on day 48 I'm proud of it too you have done excellent

Keep reaching out & pm if you want bud

ScottFromWI

Glad you were able to resist. Our addictions run deep, so it's not surprising that you'd feel tempted even at day 48.

Coming here to discuss is a great idea. Coming here last night or seeking other help in the moment would have been even better ;-) Relying simply on your "conviction" to get you through said moments is not 100% foolproof....don't be afraid to ask for help "in the moment" too.

courage2

I always do that -- sometimes the hotels forget the request and I call them and ask them to remove the liquor. It makes me feel good to take the action to get the stuff out of my room, and it makes me feel bad to (try to) sleep in a room with alcohol, so it's a no-brainer -- or ought to be, unless I'm letting my AV mess with me.

silentrun

I think you did a very wise thing posting about it. Sometimes I have posted about thoughts and was half thinking to myself I was making a big deal out of nothing. Make a big deal out of any urge and it may help you defeat the cycle. It took me awhile before thoughts of drinking weren't second nature.

Bravo!

freshstart57

For me it is enough to understand that 'I' do not want a beer. It is 'my AV' that wants a beer. I know what I want, and that is a life without alcohol. I decided a long time ago that my AV is not me. Once I recognize it's AV, phhhhhhhhht. Buh bye.

Now, what was I doing again? Onward.

maverickspoint

Thanks everyone. It is good to share the thought. I think the urge just surprised me as I don't have any others at present. The beauty of being sober is the control you have over these things, having the slightest bit of alcohol in your system affects everything and it's easy to see why one drink can spiral out of control.

JeffreyAK

I remember the mini-bar challenge, I was a bit over a year in. I knew the hotel I was going to stay in had mini-bars, and I asked in advance that mine be cleared out of alcohol, but of course that didn't happen (they make lots of money off those things), and once I got into my room and looked, there it all was. I was a bit unsettled, and the addict voice started up with the same tired old whispers - no one will know, you deserve this, it was meant to happen, blah blah blah. But I resisted that first temptation and it went away, and I wound up not bothering to bug the front desk to have it cleared out, I just lived with it for a week. I was strengthened by the experience, but I was also farther into sobriety and not really at serious risk. I think what you'll find, eventually, is that you won't even pay attention to whether or not there is a mini-bar and what's in it, I don't anymore.

maverickspoint

I'll be leaving the drinks there. I only have 1 more night in this hotel, there will be many more and I want to develop my sobriety so that I'm not necessarily avoiding alcohol. It is and will always be around me so I just want to focus on resenting it and not fearing it. I really can't wait for day 50!

Soberwolf

You sir are awesome

maverickspoint

Cheers dude :-)

Talkinandwalkin

Good job!

MIRecovery

When I'm on the road I tell the front desk to lock it up or remove it completely. You can tell they do not think that is weird at all so I'm not the first person to have asked

advbike

Excellent job! I travel a lot, especially international, and you find you just can't avoid it, without a lot of hassle. It's easier to just ignore it if you can, as you have done so well.

That said, you're still in early recovery, so don't put yourself in too many of these situations. I commend you for your strength in facing down your AV on this.

Soberwolf

Anytime bud

RallyAly

I had an unexpected trip this week for work and there was not only a minibar, but a tray on top with wine, water, cookies, candy, etc. Jerks, clever jerks.

The booze wasn't that much of a temptation (wine, meh) but the custom bag of peanut m&ms...

I did fine with colleague dinners and such too. The one urge was layover during a long travel day - the type of situation when I'd traditionally grab one (or more) of the extra large beers at a sit down airport restaurant.

Venecia

Particularly in early sobriety, I'm a pretty firm believer in requesting hotel mini bars be emptied -- firmly, if need be, since you're paying for the room. That way, it's out of room, out of mind.

We'll always face tests. There's no reason, especially in the early days, to have another one added to the mix.

Even though I'm passed the early days, I'd have a hotel mini bar be emptied if I face that again (and I may in an upcoming vacation). I do not permit alcohol in my home and would prefer to keep it that way in places like hotels. It's just not worth the mental hassle of knowing it's there.

MIRecovery

This exactly how I feel. Could I deal with a mini-bar in the room? I'm sure I could but why? I have a dry house because I am bombarded with alcohol all day long. When I come home or back to my room I'm in a space I control and I don't like having alcohol around.

Alcohol has a lifetime to wait for a moment of weakness and being in unfamiliar surroundings inherently puts us at a disadvantage.

maverickspoint

I was on business in Hungary for that trip and went for dinner with clients. On arrival at the restaurant they tried to pour the three of us champagne, I declined, got a strange look and was then offered sparkling apple juice. When the waiter came over they talked about how they use locally produced wines and that we should all taste a selection before choosing a bottle. The waiter brought over 3 glasses and various wines, again I declined and he really looked at me like he was offended. I guess in some cultures not drinking alcohol is just so unusual you get this sort of thing. I didn't really mind but I was left feeling like I had insulted this guy for declining.