Is this habit or boredom?
 

Here's my scenario: I do really well all week long. I have nearly zero cravings. Its like that life is behind me and I'm dead to it. Saturdays can be a bit testy, but I stay busy and focused.

Sunday afternoon is horrible.

Here in Pennsylvania, select liquor stores can open Sundays from 12pm to 5pm (otherwise they are closed Sundays). Back in my "prime", I'd often hit them up about 4pm to top off the supply. All afternoon on Sundays I'm looking at the clock, kinda anxious, like I gotta make an excuse to run for milk and bread or something. Thankfully, I'm able to kill it, but it sorta haunts me a bit.

So, is this a habit that hasn't died yet? Boredom?

Sounds like boredom and psychological cravings. If you were having physical cravings I can't imagine they'd restrict themselves to Sundays.

I'm sorry about the boredom. Maybe try taking up a hobby that you can time for this exact part of your week, as a distraction? For example, if you like building stuff in your garage set aside this time of the week for your craft?

You could try to stock up on groceries for the weekend so you don't have an excuse to go to the store.

Also see if you can find a Sunday late afternoon meeting in your area. Or one where you could hang out with other sober people during that time.

Or just plan some other kind of activity for that time, like a family outing or early dinner or game night.

In other words just find something else to do at that trigger time.

i had similar experiences. i did those thing for so long that they became normal to me, like stopping at the store on the way home from work and drinking a couple on the ride.- in my mind that was normal, although it wasnt.
for some time after i got sober it felt abnormal to not stop at a store on the way home even if for a soda.
it took time to get from my head to my heart that what i used to do wasnt normal and it was ok to not stop at the store on the way home from work.
and be comfortable not stopping.

i had that. almost daily it was routine to ask what was needed in the house just so i could make a beer run a bit more justifiable. after i quit drinking i found myself not even leaving the house for weeks on end at times. This was a wierd feeling foe me. I'd start to get cabin fever and push myself out. Other times I'd get depressed that i never go out. Other times i'd go to go out somewhere and suddenly find myself afraid to leave the house and wonder why do i feel that way suddenly.

Going for beer was like a routine that got me out of the house once per day and such. I did not and still really dont have something that puts me out there every day.

Sure running does now to some degree but even with that I'll get into treadmill ruts at times too.

For me it passed but I kinda had to take note of what was going on and what i was feeling. it was kinda new territory for me is all.

It is the rumbling of your addiction. Have you found yourself entertaining the idea of Sunday drinking? One last hurrah? As something special? As a reward?

Steve, I've always found those liquor store times maddening but also in a way a blessing... I think about all the times I raced out of a class or whatever I was doing in order to get there in time, but I also relish the fact that they close and come 9pm I would feel the weight of the decision taken off my back!

Just like driving past the liquor stores you used to stop at. Coming up to it, you feel overwhelming anxiety that you think is only going to go away if you give in to the craving and stop in.. but then you keep driving past it, and the crushing feeling lets up.

They're actually blessings in disguise when they show you that you can be stronger than the urge.

Steve, I think this is your body telling you it misses its old friend. When I was trying to stop smoking pot I had the same kinds of cravings. Always right after work I would come home and light up, but after I decided to quit I would come home and get a mad craving I had to fight off. I found that occupying myself with something else took the desire away until eventually it stopped. I hope something similar works for you. It sounds like you're already well on the way to putting those cravings down. Good luck!

It's habit. At a certain time you used to always do something, and now you don't.

The best way to deal with it is to get a new habit that occurs at the same time but is unable to coexist with the old habit.

So I guess you could play a sport, like tennis, or cook a big meal. Anything incompatible with going by the liquor store.

You'll either pick up a new good habit, or by the time you get bored of it be significantly less cognitively attached to the idea of going to buy booze on Sundays.

Hope that helps.

I often wondered. But why just Sunday afternoons, though??

I'm off work all next week. And I intentionally compiled quite the list of stuff to do. No matter what the weather is like, I have options!

I don't know. But as long as you entertain thoughts of drinking, the cravings are inevitable.

In the end it doesn't really matter if its boredom or habit, its niggling at you, but that's understandable. If you are like most, it will die down after a lengthy period of time and you will feel much better. Good job on avoiding it for now.

Sounds like boredom to me. So get busy. If this disease finds a cracked in your hull, you will sink. Don't give it the chance. Stay busy. Constantly.