Elisabeth888

Is not something I would suggest, but I witnessed the beginning of it tonight. I left when I was sick of it. That is the great thing about having a plan.

I could pin point the point at which each person got a buzz. They started to act dumb and obnoxious.

I do not miss it and I will be smiling when I wake up tomorrow.

AnotherPaul

I don't yet trust myself to be in any situation where alcohol is involved, but I do look forward to the day when I can go to a sports bar with my buddies and just eat chicken wings and drink Sprite while they get drunk. That oughtta be interesting.

dybehfar

Funny. What a coincidence. I took up an offer to go over to a friends house. Usually This is a place I would drink in the past. I thought it would be just he and I. When I showed up there were several other friends there, and they were all drinking beer and smoking cigars. I watched as they drank and got buzzed. One of the guys quit drinking (his wife forced him to a couple of years ago). He has slowly picked up the drinking, and tonight he was downing beer after beer. He got obnoxious.

I was offered beers at least a half dozen times and I simply declined citing my weight loss goals. I quickly tired of the smokey environment and the general conversation and left for home.

I really was never tempted to take up their offers and it was interesting to watch the episode unfold. I too will wake up and feel great. I have plans to run 5 or 6 miles and do some other weight training. Wouldn't be doing that if I had picked up the beer.

Congrats to us both. :-)

Grimes

i was able to witness this first hand. my buddy, who said he was only gonna have a few proceeded to get "tanked". him and his brother were there. had to drive em home.

Pondlady

Well done E888 and deybehfar! I'm betting you both feel great this morning. Enjoy that 5-6 mile run....no way you'd be doing that hung over! Mornings are recovery's gift.

Elisabeth888

The person that got tanked was my husband and his best friend from out of town. They get together and drink every time just about. I removed myself from the situation. I can't even sleep in the same bed when he has been drinking a lot. The smell nauseates me.

I feel great this morning

soberlicious

Yeah...the smell is super gross.

Glad you are feeling great this AM. It is a beautiful morning here as well!

duane1

Alcohol seems much more like a waste of time and money when you're sober.

dybehfar

Exactly Duane. I have put my week tab for booze at rougly $140 a week. Sometimes higher and sometimes lower. Depends if there were bar tabs involved. Could be much higher on those weeks. That is roughly $7.3k a year.

That really just hit me while typing. I had always thought of the $140 dollar a week figure, but adding it up for one year and then multiply over the past 4 years and holy crap. I just realized I could have saved enough to prepay a substantial portion of my kid's college tuition or retired a big portion of my mortgage. I could have saved $29k. This cost does not include the mryiad of stupid things I did or bought while drinking that I never would have done had I been sober. That is disgusting.

Also I have realized that my drinking time was almost a 2nd job. Making sure I had something available. Planning it out. Hiding during hangovers. Lost sleep just laying in bed. The actual act of drinking. I figure, roughly 8 hours a day lost to these activities. That's 11,648 hours over 4 years. Sure I was semi productive with "some" of those hours, but I am hard pressed to come up with anything concrete.

I am horrified by this data. Never really calculated out the extended costs.

Thanks Duane.

Fandy

the awful stale morning after smell is enough of a deterrent....i cringe remembering that no amount of showering can remove it from your pores..... like a combo of old onions and bad yeast?

tinkanman

i attend functions 2 or 3 times a week where family, friends and colleagues are drinking. they dont know and dont notice that i dont drink. some drink more than others. it really doesnt bother me whatsoever. nobody cares about my drinking except me. i'm not going to miss out on an entire piece of life because other people drink. i realize that im in the minority here. maybe even a rare bird. but i plan to do everything i did before and more....much more. im just not going to drink. if they want to get hammered and act a fool, go for it! who am i to judge. plus, makes for cheap entertainment.

Pondlady

E888, I'm reading Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife . There is a point where she decides against "intimacy" when her husband is drunk, as she can no longer tolerate the stench.

Kevah

Oh, I loved that book! Just read it last month. The fact that she lived with an alcoholic and still spent time with alcoholic friends amazes me.

Kevah

I felt like this the day after Thanksgiving. I was amazed that I, #1-Had no desire to join in on the drinking, #2. actually recoiled from the smell of my past favorite drink, and #3. couldn't stand the smell of anyone when I hugged them.

lol I am so so so thankful for the change in me.

Zube

E8-

I don't mind being around family that might be drinking, lightly. I have distanced myself from 2 buddies who are thrilled to have me as their designated driver, because I don't like the drunk pissing and moaning when I'm ready to leave.

Zube