Gardennerd

I made it through the holidays. Christmas Eve and Christmas were hard, mainly because it was always a time for celebration. It seemed very odd to not even have a couple glasses of wine. Wasn't hard other days. New Year's Eve was easy, went to bed at 11pm. I found the gym takes the edge off immensely.

My goal was to get through the holidays which I did. Learning to use other things besides alcohol for stress reduction. My dilemma is I wanted to drink on my birthday next week. My therapist says drink if I want to, don't drink if I don't want to, I just need to decide if I can drink socially. If I can't, we have to address that.

My answer is yes I can drink socially, "most of the time", it's just those times, generally triggered by stress or "need to blow off steam" that is a problem.

Dee74

Hi Gardennerd

I dunno what kind of drinker you are but a drinker like me always ends up back in the same dark place.

My best birthdays have been sober ones

D

malcolmsloan

I second what Dee says.

I once had a year and a half of sobriety, felt great, felt like I had licked it, that I could have a drink or two here and there. And for a while I could, I was fine. Within a year, I was back at it, but even deeper than before. It took me almost 7 years to pull out of it. Like Dee says, don't know what kind of drinker you are, maybe you're different from me/us, but I will end up back in misery-I know this of myself.

FreeOwl

your above 'answer' sounds like the one I used to fool myself into multiple failed attempts at more 'controlled drinking' for at least ten years...

Congratulations on three weeks!! May you continue the sober path.

soberclover

Congrats on your sober time! In my opinion, if you are proud of yourself for making it through the holidays without drinking, drinking may be an issue for you. Social drinkers can take it or leave it. For this alcoholic/problem drinker/whatever you want to call it, I cannot drink socially. Towards the end of my drinking, I was always setting up plans for when or when I wouldn't drink, what I would drink, where I would drink....it all ended up falling apart. My life has much less chaos and drama now that I don't have to take up my mind with that type of crazy thinking.

JanieF

Hi freeowl
Well done on you sobriety thus far. It's not easy for any of us as I'm sure everyone on this blog will agree.

The drink has a way of tricking us and to this day it still sneaks into my thoughts and I battle the what ifs. It's a cruel mistress. The only way I have maintained my sobriety is to live by the motto ' don't pick up the first drink'.

Dan Dare

Welcome! You and I are neck and neck. I got 23 days today. 31 is my longest streak and I intend to break that.
I found the holidaze to be pretty easy considering it's the first sober ones since I think I was 12.
It was odd seeing everyone hung over on Xmas day and there I was feeling so alive.
I think the fact that you've posted here means you are concerned about your relationship with booze.
It's pretty simple. You can guarantee to never hit that dark place again, if you tell yourself that drinking is not an option.
Or, you can go for that "social" drink and risk ending up having to crawl out of that abyss again.
I reckon' if you decide to drink, the odds are stacked against you.
Bottom line is, how bad do you want to feel good?
Stay in touch. Everyone cares here.

D.D.