sugarbear1

Write alcohol a Goodbye Letter!

billdolfski

I know the feeling. I'm sure we've all heard the various reasons why people start drinking but I always just loved getting drunk. Then if I didn't have a reason to not drink... work or something else important, I started drinking in the mornings. Now my body is about all "drank out."

tomsteve

it is possible,though!
fun times without alcohol didnt just materialize for me, beings how everything i did revolved around alcohol.
fishing?how is that done without alcohol?
camping? thats gotta be boring without alcohol!
concerts? without alcohol? NO ONE does that!
EVERYTHING i did involved alcohol.
when i got sober i had to learn how to have fun and enjoy those times. i did that by doing them. it was reaalllly weird feeling at first. quite a few of the "firsts" without alcohol really werent fun.
but i didnt give up. i kept doing them.
and eventually learned to change my perspective, have fun doing those things.
something wild:
i thought for sure EVERYONE that went to concerts drank, smoked pot, and/or did some formmof drugs.
then my first concert.
there were actually quite a lot of people there enjoying the concert without any mind or mood altering substances.
yeah, there were definatly ones that over indulged, but not everyone.
im certain there were some of them normal drinkers,too!
i dont get that still.

kittycat3

I had to accept that there will be some discomfort, and get through the awkward "firsts." And also remind myself to be honest - at the end for me there was a lot to be unhappy about regarding my alcohol abuse. It had long stopped making things fun and had wrecked many an evening and damaged friendships and my self-esteem. I'm guessing the romantic viewpoint does not encompass the reality of what alcohol was for you at the end.....

kittycat3

And tomsteve is right too....many people enjoy alcohol in moderation. Not everyone drinks, and in fact most people (in my experience) are not abusing it. Don't let your addiction convince you that you are the "only" one not drinking ....

LadyBug66

I'm still going thru that... everything seems awkward not drinking. I did go to a concert and didn't drink and enjoyed the concert, it was on my mind 100% of the time though and I was watching everyone else that was drinking.

ScottFromWI

Our addictive sense if "instant gratification" does not go away when we quit drinking. The good news is that there are absolutely ways to change that pattern and things DO get better. You hear people say all the time that "it takes time". And that's true, but it takes more than time. It takes action in the form of recovery specific activities - meetings, self assessment, perhaps therapy or counseling, and many times changing the people we hang out with and the people we frequent.

I tried desperately to do the same things I did before drinking sans alchohol. I went to the same places and drank NA beer or soda when others were drinking around me, and I frequented places where drinking was the main focus...and it eventually led me to either drinking again, feeling left out/angry or both.

The cool thing though is that once you start trying new things you begin to realize that the opposite is true...we feel like were "missing out" by not being able to hang with our old crowd, but really we were missing out on the good stuff when we drank. There is a whole world out there to explore, and you'll find that most people go about their lives drinking very little or nothing at all. And their activities mirror that.

tomsteve

quite understandable, ladybug. for me it was the years and years of existing like I was engrained it (?) in me that fun= must involve alcohol.

I had to give time time,too- practice patience while the miracle was happening.

Gottalife

With friends like that, who needs enemies? Bearing in mind this is a progressive condition, as long as we are alive to let it progress, eventually we will reach a position where alcohol is our master, not our friend. I got to this point, it is well described in the big book :

" He cannot picture life without alcohol. Some day he will be unable to imagine life either with alcohol or without it. Then he will know loneliness such as few do. He will be at the jumping-off place. He will wish for the end."

By this stage, alcohol was not my friend, offered no relief. I got in with some people who found a way out. I was reduced to two options, carry on and die an alcoholic death, or learn to live on a spiritual basis. I chose the latter.

desertsong

I understand that feeling very well. I think it's very common for us. Eventually, when you have some sober time under you belt, you will realize that alcohol is a thief, not a friend. A good friend doesn't steal:

- your health
- your money
- your relationships
- your self worth
- your hopes and dreams

Alcohol took from me more than it ever gave back.