PhxBowler

I'm passionate about bowling, got lucky and rolled a state record. However bowling is synonymous with alcohol. Its getting in the way. I deeply want to distance myself from alcohol and bowling. I want to give it an honest attempt. Do my work. That's what bowling feels like to me. Its my work. First post and all but just want to hear other's state of affairs when it comes to their passion and the drink keeping them from their full potential. I'm only 27, deep down inside I know this needs to be past me. I know better but have not put the bottle down.

Dee74

Hi and welcome PhxBowler

I'm not a bowler but I am a musician - music is my passion.
I used to play the bars...I had to get out of that for a while.

Now I'm playing again and when I have to be around others drinking, it doesn;t bother me...I just focus on the real reason I'm there - music.

It took a lot of work, but I really prefer myself and my life this way - sober.

I know you will too

D

ScottFromWI

In this part of the country bowling lanes are very social places and just about all are bars too. Having said that there are several people who bowl and don't drink, or drink very little. There is no rule saying you cannot ever participate in activities where others are drinking should you choose sobriety, but you need to set boundaries.

BabyJane

Writing. Always thought the booze and drugs were synonymous with that "tragic poet" inside me but who am I kidding? Most of what I wrote in blackouts was pretty angst-ridden, silly, teenage girl type stuff. The only problem being that when I'm sober I don't write as often because I don't have the confidence. Maybe someday. I've been told that my (sober-ish) writing is good but need to learn to stick with it and also go back to reading more often. Hard to read the classics when one is nodding out or incredibly drunk. Ha.

james186

In my experience alcohol is really detrimental to creativity or following your passions. More often than not you're going to be better at WHATEVER it is you're doing without alcohol. I think alcohol and drugs have left me with some degree of Anhedonia over the years. I had a big problem with speed and cocaine when I was younger and that certainly left me a different person than I was before, in the process killing my passion for playing music which I'm just starting to get back.

PurpleKnight

Welcome to the Forum!!

I think it's possible to detach an activity from drinking, it'll take a bit of work but it can be done, at the end of the day not everyone who bowls surely drinks, but it probably seems like they do.

For me sport was a big part of my drinking before I got Sober, both watching and attending included bars and drinking, but now I skip all the drinking and still enjoy attending games, no one buys a ticket for the purpose of drinking, and that's how I detach the activity from the drinking, and guess what? I discovered loads of people bringing their families on an evening out, dad's having coffee, and then drive home afterwards.

I'm now one of those people!!