Bookerman

This Friday is a payday for most of my boozy friends. I'll be getting messages to see if I'll be drinking or partying or having a sip. It's going to be such a pain to deal with but I will be firm, NO! Nothing for me this evening, even if my AV is running wild today. How will you deal with it?

doggonecarl

Won't be a problem for me. At the end of my drinking days I wasn't getting calls from friends to go out. I had progressed to a solitary drinker. But if I was getting calls, I wouldn't answer them.

Do you plan on going out and not drinking? Or staying in?

I recommend staying in, away from the temptation and away from the pressure of your friends to drink.

Bookerman

I will be staying in and screening my calls. Many times before I would end up drinking by myself if I got no calls and would later find myself sitting in a bar. Of course I'd be broke by the time I was done for the weekend and who knows what I did sometimes. It was getting brutal and I don't want that anymore.

foolsgold66

Turn all those device off if at all possible. Find a good book or movie, watch\read, have a good dinner, go to bed early. If you can't manage to tell them 'no thanks, not drinking' directly yet, just shut 'em out and focus on your sobriety and stay busy until you can.

freshstart57

Start an overnight project that will keep you in tonight, and then up and at em tomorrow morning. Make some bread!



My reply might seem a little trite, but doing this and other things like it, will be what will feed your soul in a way that pub crawl never could.

endlesspatience

Friday nights are tough, aren't they? It seems everyone else is drinking except you!

Well don't worry lots of people on this Forum will be doing Friday sober.

I like the idea of making bread. Could you perhaps prepare some really nice food for breakfast tomorrow and then when you wake up on Saturday you'll have a double treat -nice food and no hangover!

Post back here on Saturday anyway - we'd like to know how you get on.

Bookerman

Baking is something I don't do often but I do have a web design project that needs some attention so I'll do that. Thanks for the suggestions anyway.

Nonsensical

Joomla?

Bookerman

Wordpress, I have dabbled with Joomla but not for any major project.

Nonsensical

I was hoping for a Joomla expert.

Bookerman

I made it past Friday and Saturday. The beast harassed me last night but my essay and web site project kept me busy enough. It feels good not feeling sick and worrying about my work (that needed to be done), the beast was beaten in weekend number 2.
October 11, 2014 was the last time I drank, next weekend, Halloween weekend will be more of a challenge because of all the parties happening all over. Have a great day folks.

Nonsensical

You have two weekends of positive results from not drinking. Don't let that beast convince you that you need booze to have positive results next weekend. You already know that isn't true!

Cokietheclown

If you going to be going out next weekend, nominate yourself for driver....

The few times I've been out since a I stopped drinking, I have removed barriers by ensuring I went out far enough away from home and driving that drinking simply wasn't an easy option.

One other thing, and this is down to your personal choice, I spoke with a few close friends and told them that I had stopped drinking, and why, and asked that they respect that and for their support, I have found that one thing more empowering than anything else...sure there has been one person in particular that came up with the 'don't be ridiculous, you don't have a problem' but having experienced that last time I gave up, I was prepared for that reaction...in most cases (massive generalisation alert) those friends are probably in the same boat as me, and aren't ready to get off the roller coaster yet.

My 2p worth.

Good work.