Romanticising drinking - the deception
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Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: UK
Posts: 520
Romanticising drinking - the deception
It's that time of year when seemingly everyone is in party mood and it's easy to feel left out in sobriety. Reminiscing about cosy pubs , having fun with friends and colleagues, Christmas decorations sparkling and carols playing in the background.
Aren't our memories selective?
No thought of that overly candid and inappropriate talk that will cause so much regret and embarrassment for days and weeks to come. The awareness that your speech is starting to slur and your steps becoming unsteady, making an effort to keep in control whilst that feeling of impending peril looms closer. You sense people are starting to make fun of you, laugh at you, you're making a fool of yourself again. Is that really the time? I promised myself I'd be home hours ago. Oh well.
You keep drinking, and before you know it you're waking up in the same clothes, no memory of when or how you got home. Your sick in the bed, and the mental and physical anguish that rips through your being. The excited chatter of your children downstairs that you just want to block out.
That feeling of utter hopelessness which contrasts so pitifully with the joy and excitement as you raised that first glass such a short time ago.
Clinging to hope that the others will have been too drunk themselves to remember. And then the texts start arriving. "You were a state last bight", "God you were funny", "Do you remember what you said to so and so".
Worst of all you have no way of knowing how much of a state, just how funny, what you said to so and so. And you really can't bring yourself to ask, it's better not to know. You're way too old for old for this, when will it stop.
Your family have that tired, sad look in their eyes and you just want to die. They knew this would happen, they expected it. It's only now you see their missed calls at around the time you promised to be home, they will have suffered.
No thanks, not this year or ever again.
Aren't our memories selective?
No thought of that overly candid and inappropriate talk that will cause so much regret and embarrassment for days and weeks to come. The awareness that your speech is starting to slur and your steps becoming unsteady, making an effort to keep in control whilst that feeling of impending peril looms closer. You sense people are starting to make fun of you, laugh at you, you're making a fool of yourself again. Is that really the time? I promised myself I'd be home hours ago. Oh well.
You keep drinking, and before you know it you're waking up in the same clothes, no memory of when or how you got home. Your sick in the bed, and the mental and physical anguish that rips through your being. The excited chatter of your children downstairs that you just want to block out.
That feeling of utter hopelessness which contrasts so pitifully with the joy and excitement as you raised that first glass such a short time ago.
Clinging to hope that the others will have been too drunk themselves to remember. And then the texts start arriving. "You were a state last bight", "God you were funny", "Do you remember what you said to so and so".
Worst of all you have no way of knowing how much of a state, just how funny, what you said to so and so. And you really can't bring yourself to ask, it's better not to know. You're way too old for old for this, when will it stop.
Your family have that tired, sad look in their eyes and you just want to die. They knew this would happen, they expected it. It's only now you see their missed calls at around the time you promised to be home, they will have suffered.
No thanks, not this year or ever again.
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,095
Being that I am only 58 days sober I still identify many things with drinking.
I love to grill out on the BBQ and in the last 27 years I always had a beer in my hand when doing so. I love to go fishing with a cooler full of beer. Camping and sitting around a campfire - what is the point if you are not drinking?
I associate so many things with drinking and that is going to be the biggest challenge in sobriety.
I love to grill out on the BBQ and in the last 27 years I always had a beer in my hand when doing so. I love to go fishing with a cooler full of beer. Camping and sitting around a campfire - what is the point if you are not drinking?
I associate so many things with drinking and that is going to be the biggest challenge in sobriety.
The road goes on forever
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 1,107
Good post!
I have to remind myself to 'Play the tape forward' ....
1 drink will turn into 10 and I will be miserable, guilty and hungover the next day. Which will lead to more days of misery, guilt and ill feelings.
No no ... Not for me any more!!
I have to remind myself to 'Play the tape forward' ....
1 drink will turn into 10 and I will be miserable, guilty and hungover the next day. Which will lead to more days of misery, guilt and ill feelings.
No no ... Not for me any more!!
The road goes on forever
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 1,107
Originally Posted by Bunny211 
Haha yep. I was at a work party this week and the smell of wine was cloying. But then again, projectile vomiting blood is a pretty bad time. I don't ever want to go back there........
Member
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 174
Originally Posted by 5upersonic
It's that time of year when seemingly everyone is in party mood and it's easy to feel left out in sobriety. Reminiscing about cosy pubs , having fun with friends and colleagues, Christmas decorations sparkling and carols playing in the background.
Aren't our memories selective?
No thought of that overly candid and inappropriate talk that will cause so much regret and embarrassment for days and weeks to come. The awareness that your speech is starting to slur and your steps becoming unsteady, making an effort to keep in control whilst that feeling of impending peril looms closer. You sense people are starting to make fun of you, laugh at you, you're making a fool of yourself again. Is that really the time? I promised myself I'd be home hours ago. Oh well.
You keep drinking, and before you know it you're waking up in the same clothes, no memory of when or how you got home. Your sick in the bed, and the mental and physical anguish that rips through your being. The excited chatter of your children downstairs that you just want to block out.
That feeling of utter hopelessness which contrasts so pitifully with the joy and excitement as you raised that first glass such a short time ago.
Clinging to hope that the others will have been too drunk themselves to remember. And then the texts start arriving. "You were a state last bight", "God you were funny", "Do you remember what you said to so and so".
Worst of all you have no way of knowing how much of a state, just how funny, what you said to so and so. And you really can't bring yourself to ask, it's better not to know. You're way too old for old for this, when will it stop.
Your family have that tired, sad look in their eyes and you just want to die. They knew this would happen, they expected it. It's only now you see their missed calls at around the time you promised to be home, they will have suffered.
No thanks, not this year or ever again.
Aren't our memories selective?
No thought of that overly candid and inappropriate talk that will cause so much regret and embarrassment for days and weeks to come. The awareness that your speech is starting to slur and your steps becoming unsteady, making an effort to keep in control whilst that feeling of impending peril looms closer. You sense people are starting to make fun of you, laugh at you, you're making a fool of yourself again. Is that really the time? I promised myself I'd be home hours ago. Oh well.
You keep drinking, and before you know it you're waking up in the same clothes, no memory of when or how you got home. Your sick in the bed, and the mental and physical anguish that rips through your being. The excited chatter of your children downstairs that you just want to block out.
That feeling of utter hopelessness which contrasts so pitifully with the joy and excitement as you raised that first glass such a short time ago.
Clinging to hope that the others will have been too drunk themselves to remember. And then the texts start arriving. "You were a state last bight", "God you were funny", "Do you remember what you said to so and so".
Worst of all you have no way of knowing how much of a state, just how funny, what you said to so and so. And you really can't bring yourself to ask, it's better not to know. You're way too old for old for this, when will it stop.
Your family have that tired, sad look in their eyes and you just want to die. They knew this would happen, they expected it. It's only now you see their missed calls at around the time you promised to be home, they will have suffered.
No thanks, not this year or ever again.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 356
I had a number of shocking things when people said things to me after a night of drinking. Once, I asked a co worker if she went to a party the night before. She looked shocked, and said "you talked to me for 10 minutes!" - One of many times it should have hit me over the head that my drinking was out of control. Another time, I was hosting a party and it was pretty early in the evening. When a guest arrived, she commented "your aren't even drunk yet!" - quite the accomplishment. It is those types of things that drove me to drink alone. But of course that was not addressing the problem.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: London
Posts: 172
Great post....
Just what I needed to read tonight, it's funny how the brain can rember the good times as clear as day yet the absolute hell gets forgotten.!
Iam so glad I never have to wake up feeling that way again!
Just what I needed to read tonight, it's funny how the brain can rember the good times as clear as day yet the absolute hell gets forgotten.!
Iam so glad I never have to wake up feeling that way again!
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