waynetheking

I stopped in at Walgreens to buy some ice cream after dinner tonight. I get up to the counter to check out and I ask the clerk how was her evening going and was she busy. She said, God yes, nothing but alcohol sales. After I laughed for a moment I just blurted out, glad I'm not drinking. I finely gave it up. She said good for you, enjoy you're ice cream!
It was just a quick simple conversation folks but the freedom that came with that is unbelievable. I was one of the army of people on a Friday night buying booze somewhere. That's how I started my weekend. It was sickening. I had absolutely no control over my own life. Alcohol was king. I was just a puppet. Going through life thinking this was the only way to live.
Not anymore, no way. Give me my safe, boring, sober ice cream any day of the week. Beats the hell out of the army at Walgreens!!

REsoberALITY

I enjoyed your story WTK. Thank you.

As I drove home from work today I decided to take the long way as it often helps me relax to drive. It amazes me that there are too many part stores for me to count on that route but I couldn't think of one of them I haven't stopped at over the years. I felt kind of the same way you're describing, "thank God I'm not in there every other or third day" anymore.

Belier

Great Story WaynetheKing! Getting off that treadmill is the best, I have realised how truly exhausting it all was. Icecream anyday!

SoberLifeForMe

I'm very thankful that my state doesn't allow hard liquor sales in drug stores, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. The only alcohol you can find in those places is 3.2 beer. I'm fairly certain that if hard liquor sales were allowed in those places, it would have exacerbated my addiction at an even more alarming rate than it was already progressing.

It's easy enough to get booze. I really didn't need any more available options.

Delilah1

I hope you enjoyed your ice cream!!

Soberwolf

Ice cream is never boring good job fella

gatorman

Thanks for sharing...cool story.

BrendaChenowyth

Ice cream is much better for you! The bigger the bowl the better!

waynetheking

Hehehe...much agreed folks. Much agreed!!!

Fly N Buy

I have a small shop I run. Across from my store is the liquor store I frequented. The clerk was well trained - when I walked in each day, the woman would ask Rum or Vodka today?? Abruptly I stopped going there - I am certain they think I died. Turns out they don't miss my business, thought my sobriety might be the end for them!

I too am glad to be on the other side, today. Admittance and acceptance were good stepping stones for me. Action - doing or in many cases not doing certain things was/is critical.

Good stuff - thanks for sharing.......

waynetheking

Absolutely. The road to recovery can be had for anybody. You just gotta make the right choices.

1984Toy

Sadly, at the Walgreen's that sell liquor, that's their biggest money maker.

zjw

yeah i somtimes would think about stopping in and saying hello to the owner of the beer store but they dont miss me and i realize this thought is just my AV trying to lure me back.

I am however mesmarized everytime im out anywhere and its 8pm or so and i'm stone cold sober i'm like wow this still feels odd to me! i used to start drinking at 5pm and never left the house after cause i was too drunk. Now it might be 8 or something and I'll up and decide to run to a store or osmething thats a freedom i used to not have.

Fly N Buy

Respectfully, no.

70-80 % of all $$ from Walgreens /CVS etc are out of the pharmacy. There is small margin on alcohol as a rule in these retailers. But they sell ALOT of drugs ......

1984Toy

I was going by what manager told me,

Purpleskye

This. And a lot of the alcohol comes from vendors, not warehouse.

And flip point of view of this story from when I was a manager for one of the aforementioned, I would have LOVED more customers coming in for ice cream. Rather than those coming in screaming and yelling drunkenly, half dressed, vomiting, using obscene language, harassing other patrons and/or fighting with me or my employees to scan the alcohol even when it was past the hour of allowed sale....or TOO EARLY IN THE MORNING to be sold. This, in a nutshell, is the picture of alcoholic destruction. To me at least.
Please frequent that Walgreens for all your weekend ice cream needs, they'll adore you for it.

zjw

yeah when i worked in gas stations i too saw people strolling in drunk acting nuts. the stories i could tell. On one such occasioin a guy came in drunk and pu this beer up on the counter announced he iddnt have the money for it and he was going to steel it and there was nothing i could do. He was pretty scary looking and i had no idea wtf was gonna go down next so i hit the panic button comes came in and dragged him out while i talked him in circles about how it wasnt a good idea to steal and trying to not get myself shot or something.

Hevyn

Nice one, Wayne. I always thought I'd be missing out if I got sober. What a fool.

waynetheking

I hear ya hevyn. I would look at sober people and think to myself...what a bunch of boring idiots. In actuality I was the idiot for wasting my life getting drunk all the time.