KellySad

I always hated 4 - 5 pm at the office, when I was feeling quite good at having gotten through projects and tasks, and knew I was leaving the office soon...and THEN, and ONLY then, would "the plan" start to smoulder in my feeble brain, as to what the evening's activities would consist of...usually hit the liquor store by 5:30, some shopping, home, eat, dishes, laundry...head down to the basement to turn on the hockey game (I AM Canadian, after all!), and then start in on the liquid jet fuel, aka RYE WHISKY.

Yes, I can see why patterns need to be broken up, in early recovery.

Can anyone relate?

Kelly

Anna

Yes, definitely!

I found that shaking up my routine, changing my daily patterns and just generally doing things at different times really, really helped me in recovery. I am a creature of habit so that helped me to get through the early days.

LaFemme

I can totally relate!

I commute to and from the city...at the entrance to every train ramp there is a bar cart...that's when my "day" would begin (since I had spent the rest of the day in anticipation of that drink). I would buy two mini-bottles of wine or regular beers and then pick up a full bottle from the liquor shop on the way home.

Kmber2010

Kelly I had such a routine down that I knew each time the liquor stores in my area shut down, knew well ahead of time when I needed to restock my shelves.....for the just in case I run out.

Oh yeah, work then get off and make my stop and then get home and pour my frosty before I even did dinner.

Wow...I so put a lot of work into those days to do something that I didn't really like doing. Insane...

Snarf

I had to change a lot of things about my routine. I no longer stopped at the same gas station after work every day. Even if I needed something, I went to a different gas station, just to change things up and not walk by that oh-so-familiar beer cooler. When I did go back to that gas station after several months, the attendant greeted me like an old friend. "Hey, buddy, where you been for so long?" That was weird, as we weren't really friends; I was just a dude buying beer and he was the guy selling it to me. Glad to know I'm no longer a "regular" there.

ReadyAndAble

Kelly, I'm impressed you managed to get dinner, dishes, and laundry done first. I didn't even take my jacket off before I opened whatever I had picked up on my way home!

KellySad

If I postponed dishes, laundry, etc., until AFTER I drank - I wouldn't be ABLE to do such chores, I would be too wasted.

One must be organized, and efficient - even an alkie.

I am thankful those days are in the past...help me, Higher Power.

Kelly

least

Since I was a home alone drinker the only thing I had to change was... myself. I had to define myself as a non drinker. I had to give up the 'comfort' (???) of sitting alone drinking myself into a fog. It took a while to get used to being home alone without drinking but it was worth the effort.

LaFemme

Ditto...once the booze came out nothing else mattered, even if I had planned on making dinner I didn't because the alcohol short circuited my brain!

Kmber2010

You know Kelly I don't reflect too often on the specifics of my drinking but I have to say that I read the whole.....get it all done or it wouldn't get done post and I'm like....man she must have known me. I knew that when I poured my first that I would go until I either passed out or ran out of something....usually the first or I would drink up a storm before my alloted bedtime. You know....had to show up on time....oh dear.

Least - You are spot on about being at home and making the change. I had to work quite hard to change up that routine since I really wasn't accountable to anyone. Once I started it was who cares.....its just me. I just couldn't function without alcohol when I was home. Very dark days and so glad they are behind me.

I am so darn grateful everyday that I am able to be home....like tonight...yap to my SR pals here and be sober and happy Never thought before that this - right now - was possible. So glad to be here!

Ok, I am yapping a bit more then usual tonight.....Its nice to reflect every so often on how far we have come and how life is just so much better in the simplest of ways.

KellySad

I am a male Kelly - I think you thought I was female.

Thanks for your post.

julez

Ah the witching hour...
Anytime past 4, but more like 6 was my time.
Unfortunately for me, the witching hour still exists in my house, but now it is only my husband who is drinking.
I'm mostly over it, but it can still suck sometimes..