Nightswimming

Hi all,

I'm a few weeks into the sober thing now and have had a few times where others around me have been drinking or I have been in pubs for social events.

These times have been tough in themselves but the one thing I've noticed is that the smell of alcohol is really strong to me now where I wasn't conscious of it before. Now I'm all for being put off having a drink but last weekend it got to the point where I felt like I needed to get out of the bar right away because it was disgusting.

Is this psychological as some sort of defence mechanism? The same happened when i quit smoking. I'd like to be able to get to the point where I can socialise with people who might be having a glass of wine without feeling sick at the smell of their drink and their breath!!

chaili05

It seems like something that would be stronger at the beginning of recovery.
I'm on day 14 and I've been noticing similar things...although I'll be honest, I haven't been at a bar or around alcohol in that capacity. The smell is a lot stronger though... I was actually able to smell it on someone in the grocery store when previously I wouldn't have even noticed (or it would have been me). Also, sometimes I feel like I smell it when it's not even around- for example, I had a diet coke around day 7 from a fast food restaurant and it kept reminding me of jager- needless to say i was thoroughly grossed out.

Long story short, if you're not ready to be around it, don't do it- no need to. The aversion to the smell will probably lessen over time to where you can be social but perhaps being in a very drunken environment isn't the best bet right now.

ippochick

6 weeks sober and i can't bear the smell if my husband has had a drink.

weirdly, i used my hair product last week and it smelled like booze - 3rd ingredient was ethlyl alcohol. so weird that i could smell it...

bigsombrero

That is not uncommon, I am 1.5 years sober and still notice the same thing.

One suggestion would be to avoid bars and pubs altogether, especially with just a few weeks under your belt. I know it might seem okay, but the goal here is long term sobriety. That means that you're not going to be going to those places in the future, so it's best to start getting used to life without bars and pubs at all.

Congrats on your efforts and your sobriety.

ScottFromWI

I do notice it more now, but probably because i smelled like a brewery most of the time i was drinking myself.

As others have mentioned, hanging out in pubs probably isn't the best idea in early sobriety. I did so myself too at first too, but it didn't take long to realize that the only reason I went there was to drink in the past, and most of my friends there were there for the same reason. So when you aren't drinking anymore it's kind of pointless.

KH99

"And we have ceased fighting anything nor anyone-even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given to us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality-safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition." (BB pg. 84 to 85 Into Action)
These are some of the promises/rewards that the Big Book holds for us if we practise the principals in all our affairs.
I remember even being able to distingush the smells of beer, vodka, rum and wine on others. It became quite fun when out with other sober members, guessing what others had to drink.

Nightswimming

Thanks all for the responses. Not going crazy...well not going crazier! I'm definitely on board with avoiding the pub/drinking scenarios and focusing on other things and have been making the changes to my social life accordingly. Occasionally have an 'unavoidable' obligation like my Dad's 60th last weekend that I just had to get through.

phoebe64

I think when we drink, we become immune to the smell of it, at least while we are having drinks. I am guessing others smelled it when we did not.

Also, I have always found cigarette smoke to be horribly offensive, even when I lived with my mother, a heavy smoker. I could not sit in the same space with her when she smoked. This got worse after I moved out and was not exposed daily to the smell. we grow less sensetive when exposed daily, so notice it more after wuitting or being away from it.

bender2

I always thought people were exaggerating when they said someone "wreaked of alcohol" I'm like oh stop you cannot tell. I could never smell it - probably because I was the walking brewery! Ha. I can totally smell it now though! That icky stinky smell of someone who's been drinking. At least that's not us anymore. I've also felt like other things taste/smell like alcohol. I'm always tasting hints of tequila I feel like when I'm drinking soda. It's so strange and I hate tequila! But anywho, stay out of bars as much as you can of course, but maybe even rub something under your nostrils when you have to be there? Sounds silly, but might help!

Nightswimming

Think I might need to sit with a cup of black coffee under my nostrils!

wpainterw

I remember when my mother died many years ago and I had nine years of sobriety, I gave a little reception after the funeral and among the refreshments was some Scotch whiskey. Someone poured themselves a whole eight ounce glass full, mistaking it for wine and I saw it on the table and could smell the aroma vividly. I quickly poured it back into the bottle and made myself a soft drink. Sixteen more years have passed and, although I seem to have no cravings to drink, I still avoid the smell of alcohol, particularly whiskey. It's like an old race horse smelling the track.

W.