cambie03

My favorite drink in the whole wide world is champagne/sparkling wine. And now that it is summertime it has been appearing everywhere in the most unexpected places. Like at an impromptu office party yesterday. Or at my hairdressers last weekend.

Every time I see people drinking it I want to basically pull a little-kid-style tantrum, like roll around on the ground and pull out my hair and scream and throw toys off shelves and punch a hole through a wall. I mean it, I think instead of having an "AV" I have a crazy toddler inside my 29-year old body ready to throw a tantrum.

I've been sober 1 month and 5 days, and this time has stopped my craving for pretty much all other drinks, including all non-sparkling wine, except champagne, which has always been my favorite.

The only thing that has been helping so far is (a) averting my eyes or avoiding altogether places where it's being drunk, or (b) where that's impossible, looking up at the ceiling/sky/whatever and praying "whoever is up there, please look out for all those people drinking my favorite drink and please make sure that they have happy, successful, peaceful, addiction-free lives." I'm not religious but this helps, but definitely doesn't stop my inner toddler.

Anyway just wanted to vent. Thoughts appreciated!

Kris47

Hello Cambie,

Congrats on 1 month and 5 days of sobriety! It gets easier and life gets better. For now, just stay away as much as you can from temptation. Find a substitute drink that will work for you. I used to love bubbly, too. I like my bubbly effervescent self more these days than the drink. Soon you will, too!

Soberwolf

I pulled bk from gathrings or where ppl were drinking in early sobriety in favors of building sober muscles

i want you to know i think your awesome

doggonecarl

I can't remember the last time I saw someone drinking champagne, or the last time I was around a bottle of it. So it's not everywhere. Just everywhere you are. So you might look at the circumstances you find yourself in where there is so much champagne and do something, like avoid the situation, until you gain a little more sober time.

Calitano

I used to like to drink (guzzle/slurp/glug) champagne too. But boy champagne hangovers were horrendous.

Now I drink sparkling water with a slice and dash of lime. It's lovely. And so are the mornings after

SarahB60

I saw the headline of this post and my mouth started to water. I loved champagne (or course chardonnay too). I could drink and drink and drink champagne to my hearts content. The buzz was so short lived, so I had to keep guzzling the bubbly. Ok I digress...

As others suggested here, find a favorite non-alcoholic drink while others are indulging. If you feel it's too difficult to be around champagne, then stay away from people and events until you feel strong enough to be around it.

chickippo

maybe begin to define Champagne as a drink you USED to love?

i did too but it triggered some of my worst blackouts/behaviour, including at a dear friend's wake.

coke zero does it for me these days. or ice-cold water. if i get a fleeting craving i make sure to drink something (non-alcoholic) straight away. if i do this my thirst is quenched and the craving quickly subsides.

you can make good decisions if you believe you deserve a better life.

be well.

Pondlady

I too had trouble with champagne and asti spumone, especially my first holiday season. I don't give it a thought these days, but when I did, I'd sip something sparkly, in a goblet. These days there are so many refreshing flavored mineral waters etc.

saoutchik

Hi Cambie, there are a lot of non alcoholic champagnes and sparkling wines out there. I haven't tried them but my two twenty something daughters swear by them, and they don't have a drink problem, they just like the taste. Only slight downside is that they are not cheap

trachemys

Did you like Mimosas? OJ and club soda taste just as good.

60andbeyond

I can completely relate to you Cambie. Champagne/good sparkling was my drink of choice. Every night. I absolutely loved it. And yes, it is everywhere and you can't always avoid social events and situations. You can make the choice not to go down that path even it is does create that Toddler AV inside of you. I realized it's just not worth it and am training my brain to look at it as poison and recall all the bad things and not what I perceive as the good (it's not good!! not at all!!!) .. just stay strong and continue to make the right choice.

I tried to get sparkling ciders (non alcoholic) in the past thinking it would be a good substitute but that always just made me crave the real thing and I'd end up going out and buying a bottle of champagne. San Pelligrino is nice. But in general I just avoid anything that reminds me of sparkling altogether. It's just not worth it. I don't need the temptation.

Oh - and I always told myself I wasn't an alcoholic because I drank sparkling or champagne. Hah! Don't get me started.

Good luck and stay strong! Retrain your brain. Put that toddler in a timeout.

lillyknitting

Have you tried sparkling water with elderflower cordial, ice & lemon? It's truly amazing. Better than any champagne drink ever.

FeelingGreat

cambie, I am so like you it's not funny. I was cooking with red wine today and it never occurred to me for a second to drink any, but if it had been sparkling...well I would never take the risk of having it in the house.
I have >3 years sober, and yesterday my DIL had to empty a half full bottle of sparkling down the sink, we were both so tempted by it (she's pregnant). Point being that we were capable of getting rid of it rather than drinking.
You're doing the right thing about not looking at people drinking champers. If you're at a function make sure you have something soft to drink in your hand. It's not logical, but it helps.

freshstart57

No, this is exactly what an AV is. Gimme Gimme, and it will do anything to get it. Scream, whine, beg, bargain, bully, you name it. Fib also. Lie right to your face.

When you understand what the AV is and does, you can spot it a mile away. When you spot it, you appreciate it is not you. This screaming whining baby isn't you because you have decided you don't drink anymore. And seriously, did you every once give in to a screaming toddler?

You have decided you don't drink anymore, right? Ever? I recommend doing that, because if you haven't done that, then that line between you and that toddler gets pretty fuzzy, and it gets hard to tell where the baby stops and the adult begins.

Nowsthetime

Do you remember how it made you feel?

Play the tape.

That helps me see past my AV.

Keep your eyes on the prize!!!

DarkDays

When you see them all drinking it , think of sheep ba ba ba.

Your the cool person not drinking it .

Oh well , that's what helped me