blueberry2015

Im just wondering this as its everywhere!! I went to the gym the other day and there is a bar, its on the tv, its in the supermarkets, its all over facebook etc. I see adverts for meals out and it promotes a free bottle of wine, or a complimentary glass of proscetto! It is doing my head in every single day of my life I see booze. Is this just the nature of my addiction? Because I cant have it its slapping me in the face?!

opalblue

Blueberry I was having the exact same discussion with a friend of mine last night. Alcohol is generally plastered everywhere. One is constantly reminded of it wherever you turn.
Every time I turn the TV on there is some drinks advert.

Here are some facts:
A lcohol misuse costs the british tax payer £1.7 billion a year. Alcohol related accidents and illnesses land around 150,000 people a year in hospital. Alcohol is assoiciated with between 15,000 and 22,000 deaths a year. In addition alcohol related crimes costs the UK more than£ 7 billion while loss of productivity through absence or illness costs a further £6 billion

And yet its still freely advertised without any health warnings...

ICanDoBetter

I've had that thought of late as well - just how often I see things about booze. I'm trying not to dwell. I hide the posts in my feed in hopes that it'll get picked up by the smart software and eventually hide those things on its own.

Anna

I think at first I noticed those kinds of things, probably as a reaction to my stopping drinking. Some things you can avoid, like the wine/beer aisle in the supermarket, but you will stop noticing so much before too long.

blueberry2015

Its crazy! Even cigarettes these days they are hidden behind screens in the shops, alas this is something us alchies have to learn to accept and live with, in early sobriety it is hard! Constant reminders everywhere of something you are trying to avoid like the plague!

Bunny211

Here's the thing. It bothered me at first because I really felt like I was missing out. But, after a while, it stopped bothering me. Here's why: I don't "miss" having a sip of champagne at a wedding, or a beer at a ballgame. When I really crave a drink is when I am lonely, angry, afraid, stressed etc. And I don't want "a drink" I want to hoard 15 mini bottles in my room, pull my shades, and get blotto. Even my cravings scream "you are an alcoholic!" I never drank socially. At the end it was me, my bottles, and my alcoholic brain. There have been times when I think "It would be nice to have a glass of chardonnay at a beach side bar" but I know that's not what I really want...I want to have a glass at the bar...then ditch my friends and go home and drink in isolation. Social drinking really doesn't interest me but my disease tries to trick me into thinking that I can be a normal, social drinker. Tried that every which way but UP and it never worked!

BlissWithin

I don't know, I never used opiates or heroin, but when I read stories about those substances, people say it's the worst thing to get addicted to. Maybe it's not a matter of which substance is more addictive, but which one is our DOC really.

ScottFromWI

When I first quit I used to notice it everywhere too, but I think it was really more because I was looking for it. There is also a lot of anti-alcohol propganda out there - DARE programs in schools, Radio/TV/Billboard ads about the dangers of drunk driving, research articles about complications of drinking and pregnancy, etc.

The core of the issue is our addiction and our choices. We must learn to live with the fact that alcohol is prevalent whether we like it or not. Just as someone with an eating disorder has to live with the fact that food is available everywhere. Or someone with a gambling addiction needs to live with the fact that gambling is available literally anywhere you have access to the internet.

ICanDoBetter

Very well put - I can completely relate to your description.

newhope01

I cannot believe they serve alcohol at your gym.. That seems to counterproductive. So what is the point? You kill your workout by drinking poison afterward? That seems so asinine to me.

Anyway, about the other stuff, I feel like I hone in on it more than other people do because of my addiction. I've recently been watching Everybody Loves Raymond and noticed how no one is drinking. Especially Raymond, not at weddings, not at sporting events, not on vacations, not during holidays, not even during his own wedding. In fact it focused how he wasn't drinking on his wedding day.

It reminded me of how I use to be before I became addicted, I'm hoping I will go back to that way of thinking the longer I am sober. Anyway, not sure if this helps at all.

Soberwolf

All I know is alcohol almost ruined me

thomas11

BB, I'll share what I can. I think it is harder and the reason is two-fold. First, its everywhere and legal, second-hangovers are a piece of cake, its a half day of feeling crappy. Withdrawal can be up to 5-7 days of feeling like you'd rather die. And the "fix" is readily available. I've gone through Ambien withdrawal and it was hard, alcohol was harder. I've taken a fair amount of valium, never felt a withdrawal symptom. I've gone from 70mg's of oxycodone to 25mg's of oxycodone over a period of time and its been really manageable. Alcohol was much harder. In younger years I went through a phase where I had an affinity for a powdery substance, that withdrawal was probably the worst, but it only lasted about 12 hrs. So anyway, that's my opinion. The best prescription medication I've ever quit was a statin (cholesterol) medication. As soon as I quit taking it, within 3 days I felt better and within a month I was almost back to normal and haven't taken it since. It caused me permanent joint damage.