MIRecovery

Went to a wonderful Thanksgiving get together with a lot of drinking. No one was drunk just a lot of drinking. I was 100% fine for 4 hours and then I felt that anxious feeling so I knew it was time to go. I drove separately and my wife is still there.

5 years sober and I'm still an alcoholic and know it is wise to be prepared when I venture into the drinking world

CAPTAINZING2000

It will pass eventually my friend !

Soberwolf

Well done Mir fantastic news you set a good example and are an inspiration

Thank you

Happy thanksgiving

Lusher

Hey MIRecovery- Way to stay the course & stay strong!


Lusher

trachemys

It won't pass eventually, my friend. You will feel that tug toward alcohol for the rest of your life. Ain't nothing you can do about it. Be strong.

Impurrfect

I honestly don't know if it will pass or not, as my DOC was crack and I just stay away from it.

What I do know is that you put sobriety first, had a good time then left when it was time. You had your escape plan in place before you went.

AWESOME!!

Hugs and prayers,

Amy

neferkamichael

MIRecovery, FANTASTIC, rootin for ya.

MIRecovery

Whether the feeling passes or not I will never underestimate my foe especially in drinking situations

Axiom

Good for you and thank you for posting! It's is really nice to hear what to look forward to. You had a good four hours of fun, sounds like a nice Thanksgiving to me.

LeeJane

Inspiring. Glad you posted. Making a healthy exit is how I manage situations too.

Ptcapote

What a great reminder MIRecovery. I have had a few moments like that where suddenly I get anxious or, more likely, very annoyed and uncomfortable around a lot of drinking and need an escape route.

I remember that piece of advice from Dee when I first got on SR and was asking about having to attend parties/work events where everyone was drinking. "Always have an escape plan, " was the advice. And I always do.

I don't know if it ever passes. I haven't had a dead-on craving for alcohol in quite a while but I do know this disease is cunning, baffling and powerful. And if I am starting to feel anxious and uncomfortable for any reason and there's booze around...I leave. Don't really care who it upsets, it is not worth my life.

And that, as your post reminds us, is exactly what we're playing with every time we put ourselves in situations that potentially compromise our sobriety.

Thanks again for the reminder and the inspiring post!!

CAPTAINZING2000

Bill Wilson Wrote –



And we have ceased fighting anything or 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 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.

–(Big Book pp. 84-85)

Venecia

Good for you for setting a wise example! When we feel that tug, we have to protect ourselves and our sobriety.

Take care, MIR. I know this has been a painful year for you. Know that you have the support of your fellow SRers.

Serenidad

That sounds very familiar! I did the same thing today. I also drove separate from my husband so I could have an "escape plan". I'm at home now watching Netflix with my puppy on my lap. I feel much better being away from all that drinking! It got a lot easier for me after 5.5 years of sobriety (before my relapse last year) but I think being around it all the time was one reason I ended up relapsing. I just wanted to "fit in". But the sad thing is, even when I'm drinking I don't fit in unless I'm hanging out with other alcoholics...ya know?

Holidays are hard for most people for one reason or another. At least you and I are taking care of ourselves. :-) Going forward in my life I am going to take better care of myself and be more selfish. If I don't want to be around alcohol then that's ok. I have a chronic, fatal disease if not treated. If people don't understand...oh well.

I wish you the best and am glad you are doing well!

MythOfSisyphus

Good job, MIRecovery! It's like Clint Eastwood once said, "A man's got to know his limitations." And as another great quote said, "I can resist anything but temptation." Better to know yourself and get out of the situation.

MIRecovery

So funny, so true, and spot on. "A man has to know his limitations." When we enter the lion's den we need to recognize the signs that the lion is getting hungry and have a way out before we get eatten.

Wishing all a great holiday

FreeOwl

Great stuff MI!! I also went to a thanksgiving dinner. A bit of drinking though not a lot. Only once did I have a fleeting thought - it was specifically about a special restaurant my lady's family goes to. It's a Russian restaurant with lots of flavored vodkas. I thought randomly; perhaps one day I will just have one on a special occasion, or taste the wine others are enjoying from time to time.

But I saw that thought and then thought back at it 'why the hell would you bother '. I sort of smiles at myself and just moved on. It was really nice.