First Thanksgiving sober in a LONG time!
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Seymour, CT
Posts: 132
First Thanksgiving sober in a LONG time!
So - a normal Thanksgiving for me would be centered around the drinking. I can't say I blacked out on Thanksgiving or acted inappropriately when around my family, but the possibility of having either of those things happen were always there.
This year - it was all different. We got to my parents house before 8AM (about an hour and a half drive to my moms house.) I went straight to the kitchen and my mother and I came up with a game plan. The bird was already in the oven. That was the easy part. Stuffed shells and all the side dishes were up next. I got to work, only pausing to sip on coffee or water. My mother is a tornado when she cooks, so I altered food prepping with cleaning up after her. I love her, but she's a mess. Christmas music filled the room sweetly between the chatters of conversation and dishes clanking around.
We were done cooking early. As my cousins were pulling in the driveway, the bird was being carved. Had I been drinking - it might have not have gone so smoothly. I had a goal - a destination - and it wasn't to get drunk. It was to cook this amazing holiday feast for our family to sit down and enjoy.
A moment that nearly brought me to tears was when my little cousin (7 years old) asked if I could do her nails. I said, "Absolutely! Pick a color!" She sauntered off to my mothers nail polish stash and picked a pretty mermaid blue with an algae green that she wanted on her ring finger. It dawned on me that had I been drinking - I probably would have said no. I would have been far too preoccupied with whatever poison I was ingesting at the moment. I would have said, "Later. Maybe later." This time, we sat down and I painted her nails. I asked her how school was. I asked her who her best friend was. I took interest in someone else other than myself. Her little sister (4 years old) is much shyer. Slowly, she made her way over to us, picked out her own pretty pink shade and put her hands out for me to paint. She doesn't like giving hugs, but when we said goodbye later on in the night, she gave me not one, but *two* huge hugs.
Thanksgiving felt good this year. It wasn't a blur and I didn't end it slurring my words. I laughed, hugged, and developed stronger relationships with those around me.
If this is what being sober on the holidays can be like.. then I'm all in, baby!
I hope you all had a great holiday <3
Lots of love for you.
This year - it was all different. We got to my parents house before 8AM (about an hour and a half drive to my moms house.) I went straight to the kitchen and my mother and I came up with a game plan. The bird was already in the oven. That was the easy part. Stuffed shells and all the side dishes were up next. I got to work, only pausing to sip on coffee or water. My mother is a tornado when she cooks, so I altered food prepping with cleaning up after her. I love her, but she's a mess. Christmas music filled the room sweetly between the chatters of conversation and dishes clanking around.
We were done cooking early. As my cousins were pulling in the driveway, the bird was being carved. Had I been drinking - it might have not have gone so smoothly. I had a goal - a destination - and it wasn't to get drunk. It was to cook this amazing holiday feast for our family to sit down and enjoy.
A moment that nearly brought me to tears was when my little cousin (7 years old) asked if I could do her nails. I said, "Absolutely! Pick a color!" She sauntered off to my mothers nail polish stash and picked a pretty mermaid blue with an algae green that she wanted on her ring finger. It dawned on me that had I been drinking - I probably would have said no. I would have been far too preoccupied with whatever poison I was ingesting at the moment. I would have said, "Later. Maybe later." This time, we sat down and I painted her nails. I asked her how school was. I asked her who her best friend was. I took interest in someone else other than myself. Her little sister (4 years old) is much shyer. Slowly, she made her way over to us, picked out her own pretty pink shade and put her hands out for me to paint. She doesn't like giving hugs, but when we said goodbye later on in the night, she gave me not one, but *two* huge hugs.
Thanksgiving felt good this year. It wasn't a blur and I didn't end it slurring my words. I laughed, hugged, and developed stronger relationships with those around me.
If this is what being sober on the holidays can be like.. then I'm all in, baby!
I hope you all had a great holiday <3
Lots of love for you.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Wareham, Mass
Posts: 7,067
Nikka!
Good to hear from you, and grand that your holiday went so well.
I loved your story about your little cousins.
We have one little girl in our family, and she lives in Asia!
All boys, including 4 grandsons.
Good to hear from you, and grand that your holiday went so well.
I loved your story about your little cousins.
We have one little girl in our family, and she lives in Asia!
All boys, including 4 grandsons.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Los Angeles, Ca
Posts: 535
Congratulations!
All change ultimately occurs because of decisions (thinking) people make for themselves. “When do people change?” “When they want to; when they value change.” No amount of dopamine, endorphin, oxycontin, science, therapy, or brain scans are ever going to change this truth!
All change ultimately occurs because of decisions (thinking) people make for themselves. “When do people change?” “When they want to; when they value change.” No amount of dopamine, endorphin, oxycontin, science, therapy, or brain scans are ever going to change this truth!
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