enfinthechange

I am so pleased to see people who I was with before be on here again. ..it means they still in the game, still working on quitting...

whitehorses

Well, you have loads of support here..very popul;ar.. i too live in England..but latterly from rural wales..in a small hamlet.. it can feel isolated i know.

enfinthechange

I live just by rural wales in rural england... so I know how u feel... everyone is so pub orientated and where else do u go to meet people.. everyone knows everyone! Just going into town I must say hi to 50 people. ... but who do u know who.is sober??? Where do they go... who else has a problem... well that they are trying to deal with! People hide stuff so well too. ..

Keep.in touch fellow rural dweller... there's a few others I have met on here too!
All the best

Hawkeye13

Hi again enfin!
Good to see you back ready to kick this thing once and for all--

I live rural as well, and drinking is the social culture here too.
One thing you can do is take advantage of the country--go out and walk,
which can be a great social activity.
I invite people from work for a hike out where I live, which is beautiful,
and we all bring some food and have a light picnic and chat after our hike.

I also see people for coffee or lunch--is that possible where you live?

At this point in my sobriety, I would be fine going to the pub and drinking non-alcoholic drinks
without much temptation, but the problem for me has been that
I find drunks, and drunken conversation, pretty boring so I don't bother to do that much.

I see people I like in other settings, or I go early and get in a good visit before
they have that 3rd pint, (more the second half of the six pack here).

Other things are to cultivate interests--I play guitar again, make jewelry, garden, etc.
My husband quit drinking recently, and for Xmas I bought him leather-making tools,
knife blanks, exotic wood scraps, etc. as he is a good craftsman who
had pretty much put it aside due to drinking.

Keeping yourself occupied and busy is really critical to success.
Don't neglect to eat whole, healthy food, plenty of water,
and get some good exercise daily--all of it adds up.

You can do this and Happy Sober New Year!

enfinthechange

Thanks hawkeye. .. some great ideas too! Hopefully when I feel better and the season turns the corner I can invite people out to do stuff. .. we do walks etc anyway but my friends aren't happy unless they end up in a pub! So I guess I can just leave at that point. ..my husband is feeling optimistic too and not planning to go back.to drinking as he usually does afyer month or so..... I think he can see a new.life too... a better one for us and our kids! ! I appreciate the kind words and help!