Chillly

Sobriety day 6
NFL football is my number 1 trigger/excuse/happy time.
I haven't been an everyday drinker in the last year or two.
I've been a binge drinker on half or most nights of every week.
What I'm saying is that I can go a day without a drink regularly.. But, not Sunday! NEVER SUNDAY. Sunday is football day. Starts mid morning and continues till pretty late at night..
What a perfect excuse to drink all day. That's what you're supposed to do right?.. I feel obliged to drink and cheer and enjoy the NFL.

I LOVE the Denver Broncos..Seriously, I really really REALLY love them.
They caught a butt whooping today.. I am crushed. I feel like the only way I can reconcile my day is to drink the heartache away.

I am sober right now. I have plans to have a Sunday dinner with my family in two hours. I am counting down the hours till the dinner is over.

After dinner, there would still be time for me to see the night game at the bar....

I don't wanna lose my sobriety streak. I'm sorry, but at the moment, I can't wrap my head around the resolution that I'll never have a drink again in my life..... but can't I at least shoot for one freakin week at a time??

What the fudge?
Anyone got any techniques for this, or feel the same way?
Please tell me how you do it?

trachemys

I don't drink.

Soberwolf

Go a day at a time dont ovrrthink this

a day at a time is how we get through the day

does that help ?

Well done on day 6 Chilly

Dee74

There are many football fans here Chill. They don;t drink, so at least you know the ideal is possible.

I dunno about you but I could never 'drink my heartache away'. Drinking *indulged* that heartache.

Exercise helps me when I'm upset with something. I think it works better than beer, honestly.
D

Impurrfect

Congratulations on day 6!!

I couldn't think in terms of forever when I began recovery. I did what others here suggested and focused on one day. Wake up the next morning, did the same.

Hang in there!!

Hugs and prayers,

Amy

HOUMJM

Yes, congrats on day 6. I've only got 15 days now. But I was so sick and tired of feeling like **** after my binge benders, I could not take it anymore. Nine years of a controlled drinking experiment had utterly, completely, failed. No more alcohol for me today - no matter what. Period. Am going to miss some of the game tonight as will have my butt front & center in a Men's AA meeting at 6. Hope you find a way to stay on your sober path tonight. Good luck brother. Peace-out, MJM

strategery

Chilly, I have gone to football games sober and drunk. I have noticed I actually enjoy the games more when I'm sober since I pay attention to what is happening better. I hope you find the same thing.

earlyriser

I know it's hard to wrap your head around now, but if you don't drink, you will find yourself looking forward to a game for the game! And maybe some awesome snacks, and pals around to share it with. It will happen sooner than you think. And you'll feel like they should seriously rename Monday morning, because it will be so different than any other Monday morning in recent memory. Truth.

Earlyriser

suki44883

I LOVE watching football sober! Not only do I remember the game and the plays, I don't feel like crap on Monday morning. If my team loses, I stomp around the house and vent, but then I move on to the next game.

FWIW - I was rooting for the Broncos, too. Right now, I'm watching Aaron Rogers and the Packers stomp the snot out of the Eagles.

least

Don't look at as "forever", just lots of days, one day at a time. We can only live a day at a time, so we can stay sober one day at a time. Relax and enjoy it. And you'll feel good tomorrow.

charlieinthebox

I think 6 days is HUGE! Congrats. I'm only on day 2 and my trigger is the evening (never was a day time drinker).... don't know why but it's always been that way. You've made it through most of the day... great work. Hope I can make it to Day 6 too!

LexieCat

Not a bad idea to step AWAY from football for a little while if you associate it that much with drinking.

I loved drinking at concerts (before/during/after). I stayed away from them for a year or so. The first time I finally went, sober, it felt weird. Not horrible, but weird, like something was missing.

Next time I went it was less weird. The next time it felt almost normal and I enjoyed the music much more than I had when I was drinking.

I get it, but sobriety has to be the NUMBER ONE priority in the beginning. And drinking away "heartache" over a GAME? Now, I'm not a sports fan, so I don't even understand extreme disappointment when one's team loses. But "heartache" I would reserve for things that seriously impacted me or my loved ones, not recreational pursuit. And I know people who have stayed sober (only a few weeks into sobriety) after losing a child. It can be done.

Go home an binge on ice cream if you must console yourself, but stay away from the booze. And consider taking a break from football until you are feeling a little more solid.

Chillly

Thanks ya'll

Yeah "heartache" might have been an extreme word.. disappointment is a better term I guess.

"not forever, but lots of days, one day at a time" first time I heard that.. I like it!

been thinking more about it, I'm not going to think about what I'll miss tonight, but what I'll gain tomorrow morning. And if I stay sober, I"ll be able to remember exactly what happened.

I'll keep ya'll updated.. Thanks Again!!!

GO BRONCOS!

jerri11

Chilly,

I'm not a HUGE football fan, but a Broncos fan by birth and by Marriage. The Broncos losing always seems to cast a shadow over the house. This is my first Sunday sober, and I'm trying to cook dinner. And not drink. Cooking without a glass of wine in one hand does not feel normal. And normally I love to cook.

Hang in there. And go Broncos!!

Jerri

Chillly

That game today was freakin UNACCEPTABLE!!!

Urges waning... calming down..

Still supremely disappointed in our performance today.

Thanks ya'll

Fly N Buy

At least your team doesn't suck! I am a Bears fan - this is my first sober season as well!

If I dwelled on not or doing anything forever it would drive me zappo ...
But, just for Today - I simply will not drink. With that mentality I've put together 161 days. A plan - a program of action and asking others for help is the way I stay sober.

We have a weekly football pool if you're interested - maybe turn in some picks next week?! There's a huge award.... The golden stapler!

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...your-team.html

Glad your here, stick around and see what happens. Maybe a new path...
Congrats on starting = awesome!!!

FlyN

tomsteve

You may want to do some work on your priorities and perspectives.
It's only football. Teams lose. Drinking wont change the outcome. In a year( or Possibley even in a month or two) won't even be thinking about this game.

The game Was unacceptable to you.What are ya gonna do? Get drunk and show them how unacceptable it was to you?

So how I. Did. It was to first realize it's Just a friggin game. Once a diehard football,hockey, and baseball addict, they are now just games to me and not as important to me today.

happyandfree

I felt the same way about watching football. Thought I couldn't do it without a drink. I even missed a few weeks so I wouldn't get tempted. Now I love watching the game sober.like someone else said, I remember the game and don't feel like crap on Monday. It's another adjustment. Get good snacks and non alcohol drinks. It's better.

EndGameNYC

I've been an athlete my entire life. When I first got sober many years ago, I was very much attached to virtually all professional team sports. My attachment slowly loosened over time, especially when I started doing things with my life to make me and my life better. Over time, I learned to record football games that I wanted to watch, leaving out the ads and dead periods during the game, and then turning them off when the score was lopsided.

I mean, watching even one football game on a Sunday takes at least three hours, and my time has become much more precious than that. Many people start watching at 1:00 and don't stop until around midnight. That's a long time to be doing anything. For those who are also into college football, well, there goes the weekend.

Of course, I always drank when I watched football, so I was either drunk and/or stoned during the course of my Sundays, only making my Mondays that much more unbearable...when I actually showed up.

I'm a NY Giants fan, and in both 2008 and 2012 when they were making their playoff runs, a friend directed me to YouTube videos that showed fans from the teams they defeated in the playoffs presenting themselves as a drunken mess, threatening suicide, and reporting the loss of will to go on living. I do get the attachment fans have to their favorite teams, but those videos threw in sharper relief for me the destructive nature of becoming overly identified with any particular team which, in the final analysis, is just another business.

Yeah, like TS says, my priorities changed and I filled my life with people and things I'm happy to be with and happy to do. I don't feel much loyalty anymore to multimillionaires who couldn't care less whether or not they break my heart or whether or not I stay sober. It's now a whole different thing for me.

I still set aside time for sporting events that interest me, but now we're just good friends.

Mcribb

I feel for you man. There was a time in my life where football was life along with booze. It was so much fun and relief to get up and have a passion for your team. The years went on and I lost my family, my friends, I pee'd my pants all the time, I threw up, it wasn't fun. Then the legal troubles started to mount. I wasn't making any money. Everyone had enough of me. My love of drinking and football didn't mean much to me anymore when I was so far in debt that I was going to be homeless. Everyone had families and friends, but I had hit rock bottom. I reached out for help and one day at a time one moment at a time I vowed I wouldn't drink for today. The First thing that happened is I had to avoid events that I loved to drink around. I had help not drinking from AA and other programs. I reached out because I was tired of going to jail and I wanted enough money in my pocket to eat. Day after day I asked for help and I wanted to be sober more than I wanted to drink. That is how I did it.