HeavyJ

I successfully photographed a wedding and reception over the weekend without stopping at the free bar, and I also turned down everyone who said, "Can I get you something from the bar?" I felt great. I spent the night at the resort (3 hours from home). I woke up Sunday morning feeling great, and hit the road at 7:00 A.M.
During the drive my brother calls and asks if we would like to go boating for the day. Awesome, I go home and get my wife and kids, and head out to my dad's house where my brother is keeping his boat while he and his family are moving.
We get to my dad's house and everyone looks like death warmed over. Appearantly they had been boating on Saturday, then had a bonfire Saturday night and just sat around and got loaded. I saw the almost empty liquore bottles in the kitchen. For the first time in my life I was kind of disgusted. My dad and his wife were too hung-over to go back out on the boat.
This is when I really wanted to say, "Look at me, I don't drink and I feel great!" I felt like I was better than them for some reason, and I really wanted to tell them about it. I didn't say anything, because I kept thinking back to last year when that would have been me, and the next morning I would have felt like crap and said, "Wow, I should quit drinking"..
Hopefully I have shown them something by example..

Heavy

LogCabin

That is cool Heavy! It can get stressful at moments, but as long as we hold on...the moments pass. GOOD for you!

And I totally understand about the next day. Yuck about your Dad and his wife. But yeah...we can't control thier lives and the choices they make.

JigOvLife

That sounds like a true, sobriety confirming experience, shame about the boating.

Haven't risked a social drinking situation yet, but hope for a feeling just like you've described.

Toomutch

Thank you for sharing this with us heavy. I'm sure you did show them by example as they lay there with splitting headaches, you show up, bright, happy and NOT hungover.
Isn't sober living such a blessing?

Jersey Nonny

Major accomplishment!!!



I'll tootcherhorn for ya!!!

four812

thanks heavy for sharing your awsome experience and choice

you betrayed a quality there, a desireable quality, that I certainly wasn't able to do my first time around in the 90's.....I can do better with that now.

and your sharilng and reminder can help me to continue to act the right way in situations like these

thanks

TTOSBT

Yeah Heavy!
It feels great, huh? Toot away!!!

Aysha

Klynn33

AH Heavy,..........good for you

blow away (the horn that is) you deserve it for sure. I hope they start to look at you as an example, of how you can feel without needing a drink to get there. They should be proud - and even if they don't tell you they are - I hope you're proud of yourself. Your wife must be blown away by the new you. And what an example you're showing your kids.

I'm so proud of you........

Rella927

Toot away at that horn Heavy! Awesome! It is such a good feeling when we feel good about ourselves! Way to go :bounce

Eclipse

Way to go! I only hope to stay that kind of example! You are an inspiration!

HeavyJ

Hey, Thanks everyone!

We should all be proud of each day, hour and minute that we can conquer our addictions..

Heavy

Anna

Recovery Rocks!

FizzyWater

Congrats Heavy.

You know when I was reading that story, what I was thinking, was that the old me wouldn't have been sitting looking ill when you'd got there, I'd have woken up feeling hungover, downed what was left of the drink to feel better and been on th boat with you, downing any more drink I could find. It would have been when I had to get back to work that my problems would start.

How nice to not have to live life worrying about when you have to sober up by anymore.