Mark75

Welcome Wharfrats! | …a little traction in an otherwise slippery environment

"a little traction in an otherwise slippery environment"

LOL

They will be at Gathering of the Vibes this year for sure.

Oh yea... It's the Phellowship for you recovered Phish fans... they too have yellow balloons...

You never have to do this alone....

bcboy

Welcome Cerberus!

I was about 1 month sober this time last year when I went on my very first ever camping trip sober with the family.

I also, like you could not even fathom the idea of camping without booze from morning till night. My wife and our family friends that always join us would be drinking for sure and it was a tight spot for sure.

I was scared for my own recovery but..

The first morning waking up at 5:00 AM to sit quietly with a cup of coffee at the end of the doc on the lake with my legs in the cool water, watching the sun rise...amazing!

This was a first for me also, being able to sit in the moment and take everything in and just let go of the day to day stress and enjoy my vacation.

Everyone else in the group, every single morning was so hung over you could almost see it in the air around them. And while they all spent half of every single day trying not to be sick and just generally being a miserable mess I was having the time of my life with my own kids and theirs doing all sorts of fun camping type things.

Enjoy your first sober vacation. Let go and have the time of your life

bellakeller

About a few months into recovery, I went on a weekend wine-tasting trip with my husband and a few friends. Looking back on it, though I stayed sober, I must have been out of my mind to go. Yeah, I was out of my mind for most of early recovery, come to think of it.

It ended up being a big drag because I had no tools to get me through. I just kind of white knuckled it and didn't enjoy it much. Knowing what I know now, even though I stayed totally sober, I would probably choose not to go. I know how to say "no" and take care of myself a little better.

Best of luck to you both!

mygrandfather

I posted this to the December 2010 group back on May 26. I hope this helps.

Hi everybody.

Wifi makes it to the Northwoods! I'm up here in the Wisconsin/Michigan border area. Beautiful country. Saw a Bald Eagle today, caught two smallmouth bass one of which was a whopper, just had some amazing pizza in the little tavern, but most importantly, stayed on course despite numerous opportunities to have a shot or a beer or both.

Nobody is pressuring mind you, it's just what you do up here. So that initial "I'll have a coke" kinda seems weird to everyone. Going back to VC's post from the other day and what I have read in here since, yes it is so so easy to see a false romantic side to all of this. Everybody looks like their having sooo much fun. I thought that too tonight but then I just remember last year's trip, feeling hungover almost every day....and the awful drive back to Duluth to the airport. I was a wreck, physically and mentally. The kind of hangover that makes one feel like there is a gaping hole where life used to be.

So I'm back at the cabin, having some popcorn, checking in, and looking forward to tomorrow morning. Trying to stop checking my work blackberry.

Hope you are all well tonight. I may have some fun pics to post soon so stay tuned!