Pedro1234

Well i had a fantastic sober weekend. I went to a party on Saturday night and was the designated driver. There was lots of alcohol consumption and i did have to endure a fair amount of harassment off my mates for not drinking but i weathered the early storm and most of them let up on it after an hour or two.
I actually ended up having quite a fun night quietly laughing to myself about the carry on of them all getting drunker and drunker and making less and less sense as the night progressed.
The drive home at 2am was really funny, 4 drunk people (one my wife) all struggling to even fasten seat belts whilst laughing and waffling on to each other about total rubbish. lol
You don't realize how much alcohol effects peoples behavior until you are the sober one among all the drinkers. What a hilarious reality check.
I never would have handled the party that easy if it wasn't for my sober time i amassed last year prior to my relapse and this gives me a lot of confidence with my recovery moving forward.
Hope you all had a fantastic and sober weekend

Dee74

Glad you had a good time Pedro.

I still wouldn't make a habit of parties tho...just for a while..y'know?

D

Hevyn

I'm happy you made it through Pedro. We really don't need it - we just thought we did. Well done!

Pedro1234

Thanks Dee for reminding me to not put myself in these situations. I would definitely prefer not too be at party,s but i can't avoid these situations at times. I just need to be strong and stay strong! I did have an escape plan just in case i felt i needed to remove myself from the situation

LadyinBC

That is a very smart thing to do. I don't go anywhere social unless I have a plan to get out of there if I have too.

Good job!

least

I never knew how stupid I looked and acted while drinking until I was around some drunks after I'd been sober for a while. Sheesh!

Dibbs

Well done on standing your ground mate. Wish I had that sort of self control. I guess it'll come with time and patience. Congrats again and hopefully a good sign of things to come.

kleigh

This is so inspiring! I hope to be in as solid a place as you are one of these days. Sounds like a lot of fun, too!

Pedro1234

I couldn't have been that bad could I ? I think i was every bit as bad and more. lol

KateL

Glad you had a good time xxxxxx

FreeOwl

I've played DD in the past for similar situations and also been placed in situations for work where I was one of the only sober ones in the company of a lot of drinking.

I agree they're not super-healthy scenes for us to partake of regularly, yet they sure are fantastic opportunities (provided we're in a strong and settled place in our recovery) to see alcohol for what it is; a big waste of time.

Sure, early in the evening, as people have had one or two, you can observe 'relaxing' of tensions and people coming alive with a seemingly magical sense of charm and character.... but generally speaking it doesn't take long for that to slip into nonsense. Strange behaviour, repetitive conversations, dialogue about absolutely nothing, laughing at things that aren't remotely funny, promises made that will never be recalled much less kept, talk of lofty dreams and big ideas that won't go any further than being talked about again and again for the next several months, years, or decades in future bouts of drinking.....

It can be a reinforcement of sobriety for sure. Just need to take those opportunities sparingly lest we put ourselves at risk during times when our sobriety foundation may be exposed.

aasharon90

As an Alcoholic in recovery myself,
I have to remind myself not to feed
my ego when I see others drunk.

I have to remember that even tho
I am in recovery, that I too was once
like them. Very sick and didn't even
know it and surely didn't feel it,
because I was too numb to.

Today, I actually have compassion
for those that are suffering with
addiction, because, but for the
Grace of my HP and a program
of recovery to teach me about
my addiction and provide me steps
and principles to live by each day,
that could and would be me still
today, if not....dead.

My purpose today is to help those
still suffering with addiction by sharing
my ESH - experiences, strengths and
hopes of what my life was and is like
before, during and after alcohol.

Not to gauk, ridicule, laugh, enable,
make fun of etc. of those that are sick.

But rather, show compassion,
understanding and guiding them
to a healthier way of life alcohol free.

yeahgr8

I used to do this in my periods of abstinence. Let's be honest if I was a heroin addict and I had accepted I was an addict and accepted heroin had made my life unmanageable would I chill out with old mates shooting up and find it amusing. Probably not. Be careful and get help.

LuLu13

Wow, not everyone is an alcoholic and needs help and compassion. Some people are able to go out, have a few and go back to normal life. I go to occasional functions where alcohol is served and some people have too much. Those same people are able to stop and go about their normal lives without becoming addicted. Comparing social drinking to heroin addiction? Preaching to all about the horrors of alcohol abuse, that is like the crazy religious zealots that were at my door this weekend.

SoberChristmas

Mu friends have questioned my "quitting". I don't feel like I have to explain myself to them. I have lost 10lbs since I quit...so I use that as my reasoning! they all look at me like they wish they could do that too....It's kind of funny!

duane1

I was at a little get together this weekend where everyone was having a beer. I've been sober nearly 2 years. Been to other similar events and ignored the alcohol. This time it tried to work on me a bit. Just one.......... I got out of there after I shook it off, but be careful. You are putting yourself in harms way. It can strike at any time.

bigsombrero

Like Duane, I am pretty careful with stuff like this. I don't go to bars, and I don't even attend events like my fantasy football/baseball draft anymore either - even though the people are all my friends. I just know that hanging out at bars, clubs, and drinking events isn't for me.

I do attend weddings, holidays, brunches, and even enjoy meeting up with friends at an outdoor patio to enjoy some music now and again. But I draw the line at bars and anywhere there would be beer slamming, shots, etc.

There's so much to explore outside of the bars.

Pedro1234

Hi aasharon90
Please don't think i was mocking (gauk, ridicule, laugh, enable,
make fun of etc) or not feeling compassion towards a sick Alcoholic. You must remember all of these people at the party were there for a get together and they don't all (if any) fall into the category of alcoholics. They are not sick. It was me with the alcohol issue at the party not them
I do applaud your desire to show compassion, understanding etc and i totally agree with showing this side to others that are addicted or suffering but not everyone that drinks is an alcoholic.

Pedro1234

Thanks everyone for the feedback and i note a few comments about staying away from party's, bars etc. Just wanted to clarify that i am not a party animal. I could have done without going to a party and moving forward i would avoid party's whenever i could. It was a good mates party that i have known for years and he turned 50 so i could hardly avoid it.
These things will pop up in all of our lives from time to time and we all will have to deal with it in our own way.

Pedro1234

I would have thought that it is my issue with alcoholism that i need to take responsibility for, all be it in a world filled with alcohol. We must be realistic as what we are going to have to face sooner or later in our recovery. Do i not see my family because they drink and i have given up? Do i shun all work colleagues because they drink and i don't? Do i shun all friends because they choose to drink and i don't? This would make for a really lonely life.
I would have thought part of the recovery process is learning to deal with abstinence and that sometimes means abstinence when others are still drinking around us!
We must remember alcohol is a legal substance and hence your cross reference to heroin use is probably a different argument all together.