Roselian

This is the real test for me. I normally drink on weekends. I am quite good and productive during the week but then on weekends I go kind of crazy.

This will be my first weekend sober for quite som time. Everything triggers me. Driving home from the gym after a good work out and listening to nice music. Wanting to reward my self for being "good" . Feeling like maybe I does not want to quit completely after all. But I do need and want to quit. Getting drunk this weekend will end in disaster as it usually does. It might go ok ,but I need to unlearn this bad habit I have of wanting to drink every weekend.

woowaa

While I have only been dry for 11 days, I found my first weekend really hard - I found keeping busy, too busy to have time to think about drink helped, will power still required though.

I am sure others will have some better advice for you but be strong, and good luck with not drinking...

doggonecarl

Getting through those first early milestones--first sober weekend, first sober anything--are vital for your recovery. They show you that you can do it.

Friday nights were hard for me. While I drank every day, Friday meant I could cut loose. We all have associations we make with our drinking that become triggers. But in reality there was only one trigger--alcohol and my addiction to it. THAT is what made me want to drink. Not the day of the week, not music, not driving past some old familar haunt. I wanted to drink. Period.

Good luck to you. Let us know Sunday night how it went for you.

sarah1414

Roselian, think about how good you will feel Sat./Sun. morning. Hangover-free weekends are a sweet gift of abstaining. Best wishes to you and keep us posted.

FreeBird1

Roselian, I'm right there with you, first weekend for me as well. I'm going to ride the bike hit the gym and clean the condo. In the evenings watch a few good movies.

Best of luck, I will jump on SR to help bridge the gap.

PirateAtHeart

I totally understand this, Roselian. I was a "Weekend Warrior" too. Memorial day is going to be super hard, especially since I am hosting a BBQ tomorrow. Luckily I have an amazing BF and friends who are supporting me through this. Some of them are not going to drink tomorrow in solidarity with me. I am also going to a meeting tonight and will go tomorrow morning as well if I need to, and I'm not too busy getting everything ready. I'm trying to concentrate on all the preparations and being the best hostess I can be. I'm also looking forward to all the yummy food we're going to have! My favorite is the BBQ chicken legs!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

~PaH

1undone

I hear ya too! My first weekend wasn't as bad as this one.... Not sure if it's because I associate weekend holidays with drinking (probably the case) or if I'm just forgetting why I stopped. Forgetting all the awful feelings and behaviors associated with getting drunk and blacking out. I don't know, all I know is I feel sad today. I'm going to a meeting tonight so I hope that will help.

Kjell

Hi Roselian-

Yes, I remember that feeling. The feeling of "what am I going to do with myself" with ALL this time off.

In early sobriety, there was just too much time in a day for me. How sad is that? I was literally in fear of too much life.

This is where, having face-to-face support is so beneficial. Going to an AA meeting, sometimes just to have somewhere to go, is very helpful (and if you stick around, it becomes amazing).

Kjell~

Zebra1275

A lot of people in AA go to an extra meeting or two on holiday weekends.

I increase my meeting attendance between Christmas and New Years since I usually have that week off and it's a dangerous time to slip.

Luckyv2

I used to be a weekend warrior myself. I still have times that they can make me crazy with insane thoughts. I try my best to catch those thoughts right away today and not to feed them. Once I get the thought that a drink would be better than staying sober I make a call, or post.

Today I am not having that good of a day mentally, so I am keeping my guard up high today. Hopefully I can get this worked out. For me if I use today I will die, there is no doubt in my mind about that anymore.

Glad that you posted!

erikm02

Yeah weekends can be tough. I try to save all my errands and chores etc for the weekend to kill some weekend time. It especially sucks when I don't have a car, pretty much stuck at the house unless somebody wants to drive me around

Got some hobbies though that will help kill time (making music & getting into video games again)

Good luck! I was invited to a bbq on Monday but I'm prolly gonna skip it since I barely know anybody there and am EXTREMELY introverted and irritable when sober

Luckyv2

I am with you with no vehicle. I can so relate and it really is hard having to stay inside all the time. We have the same hobbies that is kinda ironic

Roselian

Thanks everyone. I went to store and did not buy any alcohol so thats good. But I bought some sweets which is not good. But anyway when I got home I got really stressed out. I had 6 beers in the fridge from last weekend that I just emptied in the faucet.

Kjell

If you're gonna be and live sober, then no need to keep any alcohol in the house.

Nice job pouring them out.

Kjell~

Draciack

There's also a meeting tonight in the SR Chat Room at 9 PM EST

artsoul

I think I spent most of the first weekend on this forum. It really helped me get out of my own head and inspired me to keep going.

Keep playing the tape all the way through to the end result. You may have to do it over and over again. When we decide to quit, the alcoholic voice seems stronger than ever, but each time we ignore it or choose not to drink, it gets a little weaker and our sanity gets stronger.

Think of it in a positive light: you're doing this for yourself, for a better life. All the hard work will pay off and you'll no longer need a drink to enjoy yourself.

Hang in there!:ghug3

zeldachan

roselian, i'm feeling you! i am only on day two (again... sigh) and tonight i am going to visit some friends i haven't seen in a while... at a bar/restaurant. the last time i saw them we had, er, a grand old time and i am sure they will be expecting me to do the same. so i will think of you and you think of me and let's just drink our nonalcoholic sprites with lime and stay busy busy busy busy as possible! good luck!

instant

Roselian. I managed to limit my drinking from daily to very heavy on the weekend starting Thursday or Friday. I can identify a lot my triggers and the associated thoughts promoting drinking. Despite my understanding I have been struggling to get a clean weekend for a year. I have also concluded that we can't "unlearn" and this seems to be central to the problem. we can however learn new things, and strategies etc. The longer we don't drink the less powerful the emotional pull, or compulsive drive will become for a given "trigger", which for me the biggest is Friday night (of any variety). Good luck.

Dee74

The first weekend, or first long weekend, is always a challenge - but it's one you can meet.

There's a lot of good advice here already - there always a lot of support here

Each weekend I faced the easier it got - I never think of the weekend as an ordeal anymore - give yourself free reign to do those healthy things that make you happy - fly a kite, take a walk, see a movie, play with the kids...the worlds your oyster

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ething-do.html

have fun guys!
D

mubu

I am worried about this weekend too. I am only on Day 7 and I know that being at our family barbecue this weekend it will be difficult to abstain from alcohol. I can already anticipate "one glass of wine won't hurt". My husband knows that I have decided to stop drinking, but my in laws do not. I feel stupid telling them that I drink too much, and have decided to quit.
Good luck, I am planning on checking in on SR this weekend to stay away from alcohol.