Mags1

I can’t help notice how the adverts on tv for alcohol are coming thick and fast.
Not so many years ago I would’ve been battling inside seeing anything related to alcohol on tv.

And it looks so glamorous. That everything is perfect and life is happy if we partake of this or that drink. It’s easy to get carried along with.

Until the first drink that is! We all know that’s all it takes, maybe not straight away. Perhaps we can control it, get a handle on it, know we stopped for a period of time, so we’ve grown and can be just like joe bloggs, for instance, has a couple of pints then goes home.

In stark, dark reality, yes we’d have the couple of pints and go home, then work on our stash, hoping we’ve enough to get comatosed, without running out. Glamorous, sophisticated, control. All words not in our vocabulary from then on.

I’ll remind myself, for the sakes of the glamour that isn’t. Embarrassment, regrets, hangovers, self loathing.

They’re some of the emotions I went through when I drank.

Being sober has taught me to be true to myself. It’s been a hard lesson, drinking made me into a scheming, lying person that I didn’t like. It’s very refreshing being able to hold my head up.

So please, before you’re tempted by just one little drink, Think! Play it Forward!

Have a Very Merry (Sober) Christmas

aasharon90

The devil in disguise dressed up in all
those alcohol packages and selling his
poison in every ad and commercial on
tv. He's good isn't he? Slick willie and
a whole slue of other words to describe
him.

Don't take a second or minute to even sit there
and watch to romanticize those commercials.
Simply walk away, change the station, turn the volume
down.

Remember, he's doing his job and could care
less on how they make us feel. We, however,
can turn the tables on him, take care of ourselves,
get into action, and avoid him.

We cant change commercials on tv or
avoid all the alcohol available in the world.
However, we can change what we do
about keeping ourselves sober by being
responsible in our own recovery.

Wear your suit of recovery amore and
ward off an and all temptations that are
associated with alcohol. Use your knowledge
of what addiction is and its affects along
with an effect program of recovery in all
areas of your life each and every day to stay
strong in heart, mind and soul to ward off
the evils and temptations of alcohol or
drugs.

hpdw

Thanks Mags , great advice and congrats on your solid sobriety . Yesterday I was in the middle of a football field size of booze in the supermarket buying presents of booze for some of the family . It was a mistake , I missed MINE for half an hour !! where mine ? poor me boo hoo hoo . Well I had mine plenty of times before and every time I was a total idiot wanting more and more ,never satisfied , boxing day was a repeat of Christmas , spending half the day cooking and drinking , next day the hiding starts ,sneeking to the hidy places for hair of the dog ,so pathetic ,so selfish ,so sad .
This year I am sober 4 months and on Christmas almost 5 months with gods Grace .

Mags1

hpdw, congratulations on your upcoming 5 months sober. I was just the same, I think the scariest thing was the thought of never drinking again.
Once I’d got my head around the fact I don’t drink anymore then it was learning to stay sober, with the help of sr and useful tools I relate to crossing the road. We was taught to look both ways before we cross and never cross if anything is coming. Good lesson, well learnt but we don’t think about it! It’s our safety tool we bring out every time we cross. Getting sober can be like crossing the road. We carry the tools, just in case, and use them appropriately to keep sober.

Mags1

Sharon, great words, thank you.

saoutchik

Those ads are just so far removed from the reality of my drinking - from zero to blackout in the shortest possible time.

PeacefulWater12

The drinking adverts just show the nice but. First drink or so. Doesn't show the arguments, fights etc. Or people passing out or being sick. Or the remorse the next day

SoulShine8

I have an addiction to the "Little Women" tv shows. I was watching Little Women Dallas last night and started thinking about how in every episode they are drinking - and those little people seem to drink a lot (on all the different ones). They were outside in this beautiful atmosphere sitting around a fire drinking champagne I think. For a minute, I did think how nice that would be. I always loved drinking beer out at night around a fire. But then I thought thru how if I only had one or two (which I never could do) it wouldn't feel that great and if it was typical me, I would be drinking to pass out and how awful that felt. No matter I would surely be in some meaningless conversation or doing something I would feel embarrassed or guilty over the next day. Truly wasted time.
TV and ads really do glamorize drinking - I wish stupid media would stop this. I think I have been one of those people who were always in that glamorous mindset while drinking and it never ever was true. Great topic.

hpdw

I started a thread similar to this a while back and was reminded that just because we can't drink doesn't mean advertising stops or the vast majority of drinkers are normal drinkers or drinking isn't illegal and brings in tons of revenue and things along those lines . I took this on board and now don't care about the adverts and on British TV there are a zillion at this time of year . Honesty though ! the draught Guinness ad gets to me slightly BUT as mentioned above in the ad you only see one pint , I always wanted 12 .

Off interest I think Welsh Government | New law to introduce minimum price for alcohol in Wales

United Kingdom consists of Scotland , England , Northern Ireland and Wales .

Delilah1

Great post Mags, definitely a good reminder as the holiday season is here!!