TwelveSteps

Reading KerbCrawler's post on "Triggers Today" made me think about how even though we probably all have the same obvious triggers (being around people who are drinking, etc.), we probably all have some unique ones that might be a bit amusing (and if you can laugh about it...).

Mine is playing videogames. My BF is in a grad school program in another state for the next 2 years. One of the things we like to do together is play an online videogame (City of Heroes) where you create characters and complete "missions" together in a fake online world. It used to be a fun evening to get home from work, call him up on the phone, get a game going and polish off a bottle of wine as I was sitting there playing. Now often when I play I think, "Man I miss that glass of wine that used to go with this." It's never enough of a trigger to stop playing, but I think it's kind of a funny one.

Anyone else?

GG

mercurial me

Interesting you mentioned the video game thing. I'm not a huge gamer but I noticed how "in the zone" I was playing my fav games while drinking beer. Now that I'm sober I've realized how my hand/eye coordination is different.

My biggest trigger is people dropping in here at our house unexpectedly. If people drop in to visit and the house & yard aren't absolutely immaculate I freak and want to go to the liquor store. Is that crazy or what?

miamifella

Laundromats are triggers for me. When I would walk past one, the smell of the soap or chemicals somehow reminded me of the smell of crack.

Now I live somewhere where you have to drive, so this does not come up anymore. I wonder if it would still affect me the same way.

spilledmilk

One trigger that I noticed for myself and it became more obvious when I quit was an empty stomach. I always loved drinking when my stomach had nothing and I mean nothing in it. I just loved how much faster the alcohol would hit me and it was so much easier to pound drink after drink back when it's not all full with food. A couple of times I would find myself getting ready to go to the liquor store, even out the door and have to turn around and tell myself to go eat something. But I must say that everything I did seemed better while drunk.

super71

Obvious ones I guess, but here are mine..realizing how many there are after finishing up day 3 with no alcohol..

1. finding my hidden empty bottles as I clean my room
2. going to the market and passing the wine aisle
3. smoking
4. being alone
5. watching alcohol commercials
6. seeing my wine glasses
7. being in my bathroom - I have a nice big bathroom and always hung out in there to smoke and drink away from my kids - taking ANOTHER bath mom
8. being bored
9. dating - I haven't done this yet with the no drinking thing..but I think it will be a hard one for me

eleanor

I'm only on day 3, but a trigger of mine is definitely an empty stomach. Sometimes I equate real hunger with the 'hunger' for alcohol. Probably because I would usually start drinking right around the time it was dinner-time (or shortly after) and sometimes, I'd skip dinner and get straight to drinking and then go on a late-night carb binge.

Omega10

For me, the sound of a crowd in a pub/bar. There is a place I walk by on the way to the train and although I have never been in there, just the sound of the place makes me want to go in. I just ignore it and keep going.

Chops

ok I will say it...

sitting on the toilet.......

Because I hid my daily or morning drinking from my family or girlfriend I would drink in the bathroom. Sometimes I feel like something is missing in there.

This is 2 years sober

mercurial me

Many a time I went to the bathroom & used a bath towel to muffle the sound of cracking open a beer. Sad but true

mf150

On of my triggers, I found out today, is getting home after work and changing clothes. Naturally, I'd go to the fridge and crack a beer (beer as a reward for a hard day's work). I work early morning shifts, so I was usually drinking by 2 pm.
After this first binge, I would relax and take a nap, then get up, have a few more beers while cooking dinner.

Beer as a medicine for being tired...

I was bad, today...I drank 3 Sprites. I swore i would only have 1 soda a day.

Another trigger is watching movies.