My First Weekend Sober -- Yikes!
 

Staying sober during this week was difficult, but at least I had work to keep me distracted. Friday and Saturday nights are the most tempting for me, and I haven't had a sober weekend in seven years. I'm feeling really overwhelmed and scared that I'll wake up tomorrow and drive to the liquor store. Any advice on how to deal with the weekends and all of that free time normally spent drinking? Thanks!

Read and post here at SR. There is so much incredible information, ESH here it would take you a month of Sundays to even make a dent.

And post.

SR never closes.

ETA: Do you have any plans in place?

Make and keep plans! Workout, go to lunch, lawn work, etc

Yeah working certainly helps me keep away from the booze also.
On my days off it is much harder to stay sober.
I started hitting the club to exercise, watch movies, go shopping at the mall, stop at a coffee/tea joint, go for a walk/bike ride, go to a sporting event, call an old friend with a family who runs the straight route, etc......
If someone calls to hit the bar, I have a ready made excuse, " I have to work", "I am sick and am going to get some sleep", I have to go to ....... or I would go"
I may be initially fibbing but it got me through those days off without being badgered any further so I think I get the pass on it... : )
Find the way to make it through your days off, and next week working will be soo much easier. As time goes by, it gets easier.
Use whatever works my friend!

As long as you're scared you might do that, you're probably fairly safe... (but definately very tempted as well)

Its when you start getting comfortable with the idea that you may stop by the liquor store, and start rationalizing it.... thats when I know I'm about to break.

Weekends are very hard for me too. This last weekend was my first weekend in probably 12 years that I didn't have a single drop of alcohol. I've been sober on a handful of weekends, but there has always been a beer here, or a shot there, something to take the edge off but not get me too excited. (doesn't really work though... I end up in a mental struggle not to go get more liquor).

I'm nervous about this weekend as well. I might find a good series on netflix to just veg through. If my wife will let me... most likely she'll have a list of projects that I said I'd do (while i was drunk no less) and I'll just have to power through those, although household projects are pretty big triggers for me...

Hi there,

You can do it. If you go to AA or other meetings, make a date with yourself and schedule a couple of them. Also, you could call some friends or relatives who do not drink/use and ask them if they want to have diner and a movie.
And like the others said, stay close to SR.
It will get better :)
Is there anything you used to love doing before you started drinking? like a sport or a hobby? You could try to rediscover your old interests.

Hi PoeticBlunder. I agree that it does get easier and better. Those first few weekends feel so strange, but you'll soon enjoy waking up with no hangover and no regrets or guilt. :) It feels so good to be free.

hevyn, that has to be the best part for me: waking up with no hangover! It really made it so worth trying again in the early days, and weekends.

Thanks for the great ideas, everyone. It looks like I've made it through my first weekend night! I've decided to indulge in one of my favorite activities (watching documentaries), and the plan tomorrow is to break out my juicer and make a big glass of veggie juice before I take the first walk I've been on in a very long time. I'm so happy all of you are here! :You_Rock_

Good job on getting through last night. I'm sure it's encouraging to know you can do it. :)

Going for a nice long walk sounds great. Do you by chance have a dog who would also like to go for a nice walk? I used to walk my dogs in early recovery any time I had a craving to drink. They got a lot of walks and I stayed sober.:)

Congrats Poetic Blunder on your Sobriety. First off you must change that way of thinking... For me, that would be my "addictive voice" wanting me to drive to the liquor store. I put it to rest by telling "it"- "it" can have a drink in 100 years and have also given it to my God. "It" actually likes the fact that it can have a drink in a hundred years. The longer I go without drinking, the less I hear from "it." Replace those thoughts with some constructive planning and responsible living. Plan something tomorrow morning that has nothing to do with drinking. A meeting, church, PT (Physical Exercise), Breakfast out or Breakfast in, etc, etc,. It may be as simple as a cup of coffee in front of your TV. We all have it within us PB to change and to change that way of thinking that will lead us to drink. Work it PB, you can do this and I believe in you...