gettingbetter64

I almost went out with a friend to drink with two other people I kept giving her mixed signals to weather I was going to go or not. I kept on thinking of the fun times I had drinking then I realized if I drank tonight I would hate myself tomorrow. I'm in my early 20's and I hate how all people want to do is drink especially on weekends. It was hard saying no and I felt bad,I kept on saying yes and no. I need to stop being this indecisive because I feel like it will eventually lead me back to drinking. I feel lame for not going out, but I realize I'm an alcoholic and I'd much rather do something productive with my night instead of drinking myself into a stupor. Just wanted to share.

anewpage

Good choice saying no. I made that choice myself tonight as well, although it was very tempting.

Dee74

With a little time you'll realise that life without booze can be every bit as fun..even more so cos there's no bad consequences.

D

tim68

Well you did the right thing. You can't recover when your surrounded by temptation. Your going to lose some friends in this journey and that's just the way it is. But those will be replaced by even better friends that like you for who you are. They will want you around for you...not because of the alcohol and them needing a drinking buddy. A drinking buddy isn't a friend, because when the alcohol goes away, so do they. Things will change for the better. Just gotta take the risk and jump with both feet first.

gettingbetter64

I'm still tempted to drink tonight but I'm not letting myself. That's so true about the drinking buddies, the last thing I need is another hungover Sunday filled with guilt shame and disgust for myself. And knowing myself if I drank tonight I would drink for a few more nights till I felt like ****.

FreeFall

Good for you for making a good decision faced with a hard choice. Once you start thinking of yourself as a non drinker it gets easier. Make that choice over and over again and you'll be feeling great in no time.

I still haven't really mastered how to be with my former drinking buddies and be comfortable, it may never happen. I get bored, I feel scared for them when I see where they're headed, and I don't like that little voice of temptation that rears it's ugly head. I don't want to be the goody goody and I know they feel I'm "not fun anymore" so it's awkward. Oh well, it was awkward when I couldn't remember conversations from the night before too. It was awkward when I had to thank people for not letting me drive, etc.

You can do this! True friends will adapt to the new you.

HakunaMatata

I totally understand how you're feeling. I'm in my mid-20s and really new to sobriety. Although tempting to join friends for a night out, I just think how horrible and guilty I'd feel the next day. I've pretty much accepted the fact that I'm gonna be lame social wise for awhile, until I find new, fun ways to fill my days and nights and surround myself with true friends (not just drinking buddies). I know it will take time, but eventually being sober, stable, and feeling electrically alive will be better than even the best drunk memories. Good for you for staying in, don't give in!

IWillWin

"I still haven't really mastered how to be with my former drinking buddies and be comfortable, it may never happen. I get bored, I feel scared for them when I see where they're headed, and I don't like that little voice of temptation that rears it's ugly head. I don't want to be the goody goody and I know they feel I'm "not fun anymore" so it's awkward. Oh well, it was awkward when I couldn't remember conversations from the night before too. It was awkward when I had to thank people for not letting me drive, etc."


Wow. This ^^^^^^^

Thanks for sharing...that REALLY helped me just now

Chicagoan

The fact is that you did not. That is fantastic!

tim68

Checking in on you today. Hope things are going great!

gettingbetter64

[QUOTE="tim68;4644293"]Checking in on you today. Hope things are going great![/QUOTE


Thanks I'm feeling good today, I have been productive so far. I have no urge to drink at the moment I'm gonna try to continue to be productive the rest of the night.

Neverlookback

Good choice, life is a lot clearer when you don't look at it through the bottom of a glass.

gettingbetter64

It really is you don't realize it when your drinking of course

Flying4Life

Way to go! Being sober means dealing with short-term pain and discomfort in order to enjoy a lifetime of benefits. I'm so proud of you!

gettingbetter64

I was tempted tonight to drink but I talked myself out of it, I'm on day 5 and the more sober days I accumulate the more I get used to not drinking. I like how I'm learning how to deal with my emotions.

Huntingjman73

One thing that just jumped into my mind is, as y'all mention, I want to drink so badly at times and that I associate fun with drinking. Bad thing is, I don't remember a lot of those "fun" times with alcohol. Some are blacked out, others are only remembered when someone mentions what was done etc. How screwed up is that. I rarely watch live tv unless it's sports. However, I watch several shows when my fiancé comes over that I've DVRd. She has no issue with alcohol, and may nurse a glass of wine all night. Not me. Anyway, when we get together to watch a new episode, half the time I can't remember how the show ended last time cause I'm drunk. I'm a happy alcoholic, but still an alcoholic.

Thanks for the support group guys, reading other peoples posts and posting myself is great therapy. Bring on day 6. Mondays aren't bad unhungover. Made up a new word. Tonight all

gettingbetter64

I completely agree with not remembering the fun times, the longer I drank the less fun I had. I blacked out so many times said so many crazy/ridiculous things that I didn't mean. Or just not remembering what I said and how I acted (which was the worst) Posting really is great therapy.

benniesauntie

Hi there. I'm 25 and recently quit drinking. 42 days sober. All my social activities were just going out for drinks with my friends or drinking with them at someone's house. I was terrified to try to hang out with anyone sober. I've started exercising so have tried to go for walks with friends instead. Also last week I went for coffee with a girlfriend at a really cute coffee shop. We sat in comfy armchairs by a fireplace and talked for so long. It reminded me of going for drinks... but no hangover, no concerns about doing embarrassing or shameful things, no risk of drunk driving. I think non-alcoholics have a hard time understanding why we have to quit. Especially at our age. One of my really good friends asked me why. She said I've quit before and can do it again. The longest I've ever quit for is 18 days. Then I just go back to binge drinking. I hope you can find the friends that support your choice to live alcohol free. And can leave behind the ones that do not. Best of luck. Thanks for sharing your story

gettingbetter64

Congrats on 42 days that's awesome, I've been trying to exercise as much as possible lately. I've gone on walks with friends before which I like better then going out to dinner/going to someone's house because then I know there's no chance of drinking while walking. I am nervous of trying to meet new people without alcohol it scares me because for so long I used alcohol to relax me. Even though that eventually backfired on me and now I have more anxiety then I started with. I'm trying to find new ways to relax when meeting new people/being around people.

Chicagoan

Stay as busy as you possibly can.
When my wife went to work this morning,
I felt that old urge. I got my butt up and
went to Wal-Mart and checked out some electronics,
then to Best Buy. Keep yourself occupied.