OldRocker

Hello again all, thanks so much for the help in my previous thread. Inspired me and wife to really kick this demon once and for all.

I have a quick thing I would like to ask your advice on :

My son turns 22 soon, and I ordered some tickets for the Download Rock festival in Donington for June. My wife and I have been every year since it became Download festival, and also went there when it was called "Monsters of Rock" back in the day

Now obviously my question is about the drinking side of the festival.

What tips can you give us to try and avoid drink at a festival? Not going is not an option as this is likely to be the last time I have the chance to take my son to see Black Sabbath in person in the Uk, a band that has been a huge part of my life and inspiration, and music he grew up on as a result

LOTS of people drink LOTS of alcohol at the festival, and my wife and I are usually completely staggered drunk from dusk till dawn from the Thursday till the Sunday.

Any tips you can throw at us, or is it too early to be even thinking about this yet considering we are only at day 13 of sobriety?.

Thanks all

stillsleeping

Hey Rocker, like the look! And congrats on 13 days - that's fantastic By mid June you'll be 3 months sober, so I don't see why it's too soon. I'd try building up resistance with a series of trigger situations, starting out easy
(...sitting outside on a nice day and drinking a coke instead of a beer...)
getting harder
(...sitting outside a pub on a nice day drinkin a coke instead of a beer...)
then nails
(..sitting inside a pub, with old friends who are all drinking beer and ripping the p:ss out of your lovely coke...)
Personally I can say that once you break your cherry (sorry. gross) you find that doin stuff sober is actually really good. Just different. Download in Donnie, could be a nice sober target.

Nice to meetcha,

Still
xxx

OldRocker

Thanks!

that trigger situation plan looks daunting, but it does look like very good preparation for being able to put myself in a situation like that.

thanks for the kind words as well, nice to meet you too

I'm so glad I found this site, after every visit I feel a renewed sense of belief

2granddaughters

OldRocker:
Is the Mrs. as committed to sobriety as you are? If so, you are in luck. Take lots of non-alcoholic stuff to drink with you (soda, juice etc.) and don't let others near it, someone will certainly try to poison your well if you get my drift.
Have a Plan B. If the situation gets too tense for you, perhaps you can "take a break" away from the festivities and meet up with your son later.
Prayer will help too. It will be a test of your resolve but you can get through it if you have a plan.

Good luck.

Bob R (in the Colonies)

stillsleeping

Hey man, this whole thing is daunting right? Thing is, you know how tough you are now - almost 2 weeks sober, you can go the distance

Heh heh...kind. Once in a blue moon

ps 2granddaughters gives good advice. better than mine. go with what she says

xxx

OldRocker

Hello

Yes my wife is as committed as me, but she never drank or used as much as me. She has also had many years of sobriety under her belt up until recently. I think she has mainly given it up to try and help me more than herself. It is certainly working both ways, however, as neither of us are now tempting the other in terms of cracking open a bottle wine etc at night while the other is sitting there with a cup of tea scowling

and thanks for the advice, i'll be thinking hard about a backup plan. The bailing and meeting up later sounds promising.

keepfinding2

Just don't drink.

stillsleeping

HE!! I meant he. Sorry Bob

DoinThis

Hi rocker.....if Ozzy Osbourne can do it, u can!

I posted a similar question when I went to a wedding a month sober. Even with all good intentions I still drank. I was just too new and felt too weird not drinking. I only had a few beers and left at 10 but I didn't manage it.

All the best, u are doing so well and potentially lengthening your life. U can have little rocker grand kids one day

DoinThis

Hi rocker.....if Ozzy Osbourne can do it, u can!

I posted a similar question when I went to a wedding a month sober. Even with all good intentions I still drank. I was just too new and felt too weird not drinking. I only had a few beers and left at 10 but I didn't manage it.

All the best, u are doing so well and potentially lengthening your life. U can have little rocker grand kids one day

OldRocker

thanks mate, i'm making plans for the festival as we speak. Feels more like a military strategy at the moment than a good weekend out haha!

WhySoSerious

Youll be there with your wife who is doing it too!! thats awesome be each others accountability. does your son drink? Maybe if dad (who is providing the tickets) asks him not to drink for your sake he will listen and support as well. Then you will have two supporters. sounds awesome!

Bruno1979

Hey Rocker,

How much were you and your wife drinking?

I don't live too far from donnington. I hear that its a great day out.

Dee74

It's possible to go to a concert or even a festival and not drink...but I think at 90 days I would have likely faced a lot of internal turmoil moments.

I think I would have not gone - even with Sabbath playing....

so...if you're going you need to be prepared for all that, and like others have said, have an escape plan (keeping in mind how difficult it is to 'get away' from things at a festival) - and above all remember - that first drink is actually the one that does all the damage.

You have a while to prepare - I wish you well

D

OldRocker

bottle of vodka a day each (large size) for about ten years, up to two bottles a day in the mid 80s. Then my wife quit from about '90 until recently, whereas I continued from '90 but not quite at the same scale as before. It went down to 'only' a couple of bottles of wine a week along with the odd bottle of vodka/rum as well as going out on top of that all weekend.

Lucky to be alive, lots of my old friends are long dead

and yeah, it's the highlight of our year rocking out at Download (occasionally Sonisphere now as well)

OldRocker

yeah, my son drinks a heck of a lot, but only at weekends/special events such as festivals

He's camping separately to us with his friends, so there's no temptation after/before gigs etc.

Bruno1979

How did you feel the next morning after you had drank 2 bottles of vodka mate?

I feel hungover now just thinking about it. :-o

OldRocker

During that time I was taking all sorts of crap along with it, so i'd be on a coke run for a few days on top of it so that I could function and get to a gig the next day on time. If I got the slightest inkling that it was wearing off i'd immediately drink & use.

By the way for any creative people out there who are scared of sobriety stopping your creativity, here's Ozzy himself with a message that has inspired me so far:

Ozzy Osbourne After Addiction -- "It's great to be alive!" - YouTube

DoinThis

I'm only 7 weeks off the booze and about to check this out.....

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...5-curious.html

Sounds interesting and if your not keen on AA maybe worth looking at

desertsong

I'm so envious! I have friends in the UK and have wanted to meet up with them at Download for the past few years. Def Leppard is one of my favorite bands and they've been there the last couple of years. Whitesnake too, and AC/DC. I'd have love to have gone but alas ... logistics.

Good idea to have an exit plan if you need to get away from the madness for a bit. Festivals are always drunkfests, which is too bad because honestly, I think it takes away from the enjoyment of it all. Why bother spending all that money and time if you're gonna get so drunk you won't even remember any of it?!

You and the wife are partners in sobriety now. Hold each other up and keep each other strong. By the time Download gets here, you'll have a few months of sobriety under your belt and it will be easier than it would be if you were going tomorrow. You won't want to lose all you've been working so hard for!