RidingSober

It's been 12 days since I quit drinking and I've had my daughter the whole time since then. I take her back to her moms house tomorrow for the school year (I get weekends), and I've been thinking that I'd enjoy going out and drinking since I have my non-dad weekend.

I guess I don't know what to do when I'm alone or when I don't feel I need to be sober for someone else. I need non-drinking friends or a girlfriend or some hobbies or something. I'm still trying to decide what to do...

MycoolFitz

While you're deciding why don't you not drink? Sober friends would be good. Might want to be careful about a girl friend right now this early in recovery, everything is pretty fragile. I'm 2 years divorced and about 80 daze sober and I'm still cautious about that kind of a relationship. I'd better be straight and clear in my head before I get into someone elses. Focusing on your sobriety is a major relationship. Just my thinking. And really one can only be sober for oneself in the long run.

Anna

Congratulations on your 12 days sober.

I think it's a good idea to find people and activities in your life not involving alcohol.

Bee2011

Congrats on getting sober RL! I get returning the kids home and keeping yourself grounded when your alone. I deal with the same thing. I try to focus on the fact that i feel better because of sobriety. From there it's about doing what you enjoy, just without the alcohol. I visit SR for support a lot as well. I've been sober two months now and for myself i have found being alone in a state of sobriety to be far better experience than being alone when i was drinking.

serious

congrats on 12 days!

i would say that boredom is a huge trigger for drinking. (i've realized that at least for myself).
find something to keep yourself occupied, although it might be hard at first... i was pretty nutty in my first two weeks... just thinking about NOT drinking.
someone said here a great quote that i like "it's better to be sober and think about drinking, than being drunk and thinking about being sober".

once i got back to working out, the healthier lifestyle took over and as a little more time moved on, the thoughts of drinking were simply replaced by other more interesting things.

do whatever you can to keep yourself busy, it sure as hell beats boredom and constant temptation to drink or watching the clock until... it's time to drink.

NoFireWater

Riding Sober, can you be around people drinking at all or is it too much of a temptation? I still go out and see friends, but I just drink a non-alcohol drink instead. I'm not making a big deal out of it, just saying I'm trying to be good, or am too busy at work,etc. It's not as quite as much fun, but I just leave early and go home and watch movies,read, or surf online. I can't give up a social life and drinking at the same time-it's too much for me personally.