FreeFall

I think a St. Patrick's Day support thread might be in order. I don't know about the rest of you, but with my Irish family and friends this was one of the biggest drinking occasions of the year. I rarely experienced a sober one in decades.

This will be my first. I had a little practice as the parade here was held early so the celebrations started early. I was at the local pub in the midst of all the carousing and it was boring. It made me sad and happy at the same time. It was great though to a) not worry about the cops and driving b) know that my camera and phone were coming home with me c) not have a green tongue for work today and d) remembering to set the clock and not dying for that lost hour like usual.

Anyone else have a hard time with this holiday?

hypochondriac

I am not sure St. Patrick's day is quite such a hoo-ha here in the UK. For me it often means playing a few tunes in the pub but I think I can cope with that now. Hopefully no one will try to force Guinness down me. Is it possible to just avoid the celebrations? x

sugarbear1

By the end of my drinking, every day was a holiday, although in my past, yes, it was a problem for me. Then I stopped going out so I could stay home and drink like I wanted.

It's a week away, prepare now to make alternate activities/pans for this day.

Mrbeagle

St Pats day is pretty big up here in Newcastle, probably down to it being a student city with quite a high population of Irish students. I was in the uni library last year working on an essay and the absolute carnage outside was unbelievable (the library is handily opposite the university pub!)

Ambulances, fights, never seen anything like it. I remember I went home and drank some Guinness by myself actually. Fair to say I will be steering clear this year! A nice quiet, sober St Pats maybe with some nice food would suit me just fine

thenewguy

Since most of my drinking was performed in the darkest corner I could find in the bar, I always avoided going out on St. Pat's day, which I referred to as Amateur Day.

bi11fish

I am the kind of alcoholic that every day was St. Patricks Day, New Years Eve, Christmas or my birthday. Basically my Alcoholic thinking told me every day was a good day to drink. I needed support on a daily basis not just a couple of days a year.

FreeFall

True, we are/were good at making anything a cause for celebration.

I'm tired of making celebrations about food too though. I need a new plan.

I started the thread early so we do have a week to prepare for the battle with the AV, at least for those of us that it will be a temptation or trigger.

escapist

St. Pats is close to my birthday so I just have a long long drunk. Maybe whiskey instead of wine. Drink myself ******** and half dead. Oh thank you Universe, God, SR people and my own Irish ass I am not going there this year.

SoberKat9

Freefall, thanks for this post. I'm Irish Catholic, and St. Patrick's Day is like a holy day of obligation in my family. My hometown St. Louis, has quite the St. Patrick's Day celebration. 2 major parades and many minor ones. And lots of drinking. In fact, the local cops say the day they give out the most DUI's is on St. Pat's or Mardi Gras (big holidays in StL).

I'm going to be in StL for St. Patrick's Day this year visiting family. It's going to be a big struggle for me but I know I can do it. My BFF from high school is pregnant, so she won't be drinking. So at least I'll have a sober buddy with me. :-)

Am going to download the SR app for my phone. That way, if I'm struggling I can just come here to help remind myself of why sobriety is better. :-)

Redviper

I live in Nevada where every day is a reason to party. The easiest thing to do is make plans to do anything but be around it. Even if you spend the evening alone with a book it's a million times better than drinking. Sobriety is worth it.

chuwantmybuffet

Its great to hear that you notice the positives of prior deadly situations and understand that you dont "HAVE" to drink on any occasion. For a long time a thought it was a requirement to get wasted because it's St. Patricks day, or New years, my birthday. Eventually all that turns into is " I'm gonna drink all weekend, and thirsty thursday, then Monday while watching sports with friends." After rationalizing your designated times to drink you eventually just do it all day, every day like I did. In the end there is no friends, you dont even feel the alcohol, everything is a problem. Stay clean, god bless.

SoberRo

Wow, how come half of the American population is Irish? Do you mean you have Irish parents/grandparents? Otherwise I don't understand the logistics

Jeni26

St. Patricks day was always a major reason for my H to get wasted as he's from Irish descent. The Guinness would be stockpiled in the fridge by now. He would have booked a couple of days off work.

We're both 9+ months sober now, and he hasn't mentioned it all this year.

His first sober St.Patricks Day in 30 years?!....amazing x

Weasel1966

The bar I used to go to has two st Patrick celebrations. One on the actual day and one the call st practice day they had that last Sunday. What a bunch of alkies!

I saw someone walking to the bar I know since it is so close to my house yesterday. They said oh we missed you Sunday. I said yeah well... Just to busy sometimes and kept walking.

Little do they know they will never see me int here again. Just passing by it makes my stomach turn a bit.

When I worked in New York City a bunch of years back I always took that day off. The city is full of very drunk people and the trains are ere not fun to see. Watched this guy fall down the stairs and watched from inside the train as people stepped over him. Ah... Love a good New Yorker!

choublak

LOL yeah, or sometimes great-grandparents...basically anyone with Irish ancestry (even if it's like, one great-grandparent) can claim to be "Irish" or "part Irish"...like I have Irish ancestry, my grandmother is of Irish descent but I don't think my great-grandparents were born in Ireland either. Now, some people with Irish heritage who were born and raised in the US still have relatives over in Ireland, so there are varying degrees of "Irishness" I suppose. And then you have people from Ireland in the US.

Yeah, it can be confusing.

Alva

Lots of Irish ancestry where I'm located as many came over to farm. Half the streets in my town are named after Irish counties and there are still lots of 3rd and 4th generations living here.

For me it was a good excuse to start early and JUSTIFY getting obliterated whereas other days were just normal drunken fun days. I'll just wake up early, do something productive or something out of the norm and get through it. I'm certainly not going to give up sobriety and everything I've worked so hard for because of one day!

kelle96

Big holiday for my people here in Boston.... I usually lead the charge. Irish Whiskey Makes Me Frisky and all that

Louise82

Like escapist, my birthday is also near "Guinness Day" as some people in the UK call it. Actually, my birth date should have been St. Paddy's Day itself but I was late. Story of my life.

So when I was drinking I used to "celebrate" St. Paddy's Day by getting drunk by myself. Then I'd "celebrate" my birthday by getting drunk by myself. Then I'd "celebrate" Easter by getting drunk my myself. Then there was St. George's Day and the May Day bank holiday...you get the idea. This is my first sober March so I'm looking forward to actually enjoying and remembering Paddy's Day, my birthday and Easter this time round.

This isn't going to help anybody, but it made me laugh when I remembered it just now - the only thing I've ever done to celebrate St. Patrick's Day without food or alcohol was when I was working in an office and the boss made everyone wear a blank green Post-It note on their chest. Like one of my colleagues said, it was like something David Brent from The Office would come up with.

coffeetogo

This is going to be my first sober St. Patrick's Day in Ireland. I need to make plans what to do and how to manage the whole event.

FreeFall

Kelle96 glad I'm not in Boston anymore-it would be extra hard to resist there. Hell, they even gave us a day off lol Evacuation Day. I remember always taking the day after off in advance and joking about it. One parade the whole T stop was doing the drunken hokey pokey. Good times and fun memories. Funny, thinking of that doesn't make me want to drink, at least at the moment. Will be checking SR on the phone on the 17th as well.