Yankee73

The fantasy of drinking will always be better than the reality of it- because you can control a fantasy. You can't control what happens when drinking. Please remember that!

Lance40

SoberFreckles - 4 months into my sobriety I went on a life-long dream vacation to Thailand, and a lot of my plans before sobriety were around all the drinking and partying I was going to do. As much as you can, have a plan to avoid alcohol. Other than that, I found it's the exact same as being sober at home. You handle it one situation at a time and in every circumstance choose sobriety. The setting may be different, but the principle is the same. You don't drink; you're not going to drink; and when you're tempted you reach out for support.

I am confident you are going to be fine and that you will have a wonderful time.

sva777

9 months is great, I hope you can accept that you can not drink ever eventually. I know how hard it is.

Cauliflower

Congratulations on 9 months sober! That's fantastic. I understand that grappling at the idea of never drinking again is hard. But, from what I read here, it is possible. I am very new at this, but I am coming to terms with never drinking again. I know where that one drink will lead and it's not a pretty picture, so I don't go there. If I ever gave myself permission to drink again, even if it was for "yust one night" or "just on vacation", I know I will not stop. I know I will justify the drinking, and will continue on for another night, or another weekend, and on and one. I know how hard it will be to quit again. It will be spiral downwards, and I am not going there, it scares me too much. At this point in my recovery, I am choosing to remain sober.

We are planning a winter holiday and I cannot wait to vacation sober! It will be fun filled days with no hangover and I will soak up every minute of the time sober. Play the tape forward, and think about how much more enjoyable the time will be with a clear head.

tursiops999

Hi Freckles - it's funny, I had a similar thought at 6 months sober. I was going to stay at a hotel on a business trip, and I thought, "Oh great, I can get a bottle of wine and drink it in my hotel room, and no one will know!"

Of course, when I get a thought like that, I call someone ... I called my sponsor, and she laughed out loud. She said "Well, YOU'LL know, and it's YOUR sobriety, which is all that matters --- You're the one you're staying sober for!"

It was just the AV looking for a "loophole". I didn't seriously entertain it, but I did take it as a warning that I needed to PLAN my trip. So I made plans for the evenings, including an AA meeting, phone calls to support people, recovery books to read, etc.

Congratulations on your 9 months & hang in there!!