cropduster74

All the stars align today. It's Friday night before the Christmas weekend. My wife and kids are going to see my inlaws about 45 minutes away and will be gone for the night. I am finishing work up early today. Live in southern California but have colder weather today with tons of rain coming. I am only 9 days in but today for sure would be a day I would escape work a couple hours early and cozy up in the local bar, alone, because I like doing that. I am not going to, but it's just right there. The psychological cravings for me are far worse than the physical, even though that's there too. Merry Christmas everyone, be safe!

doggonecarl

If my left had left me alone nine days into sobriety, I'm positive my thoughts would have been the same as yours.

Be strong. Have the integrity to behave the same with her gone as you would as if she were there.

ScottFromWI

There is no "perfect" day to drink for us unfortunately - in fact any day that we do is a disaster of pretty epic proportion, right?

Someone is always here on SR if you need some virtual company of course. I would be willing to bet that if you really wanted to find something to do you could - ring the salvation army bell somewhere for an hour and say Merry Christmas to as many people as you can! Or you could surprise your wife and kids and show up at the inlaws! Or maybe see if there is a local church or school that is prepping for a community holiday dinner that needs some help peeling potatoes or making colelaw!

Coldfusion

Actually, Mercury just went retrograde so this would be a really bad time to relapse. It is a good time to build on your nine days.

Read around and post often--it works if you work it!

Ariesagain

Drinking alone in a bar two nights before Christmas...what could go wrong?

You could get in a bad accident driving home, you could get pulled over and end up in jail, you could end up in altercation with another sad/mad drunk.

For certain, tomorrow for Christmas Eve you would be hungover and irritable, trying to pretend you're just coming down with something or really tired so that you could tell yourself no one knows you drank.

Oh, and all the little neurons will be awake and screaming for their booze fix...so it'll be a day-long battle trying not to figure out a way to get alcohol in your body...hey it's Christmas Eve and you feel lousy and you'd be better company if you took just take the edge off, so really you'd be doing it for them, right?

Rinse, repeat.

What exactly would be "perfect" about that again?

You got this.

FenwayFaithful

I am fifteen months sober and just flew home for the holidays. The whole trip over here I was thinking about how "perfect" a drink would be. I was at an airport and everyone drinks at 9 AM there, it's normal! I'm in the sky so it doesn't count! Honestly it was a struggle to resist the temptation. I just distracted myself by watching Harry Potter & texted a friend from AA to share how I was feeling (times like that are when I realize how desperately I need to find a new sponsor). The alcoholic in me is always trying to find an excuse to drink but then the smart part of me knows what that gets me. Shame, guilt, misery, embarrassment...etc. I always hear that cravings only last a few seconds, we just run into trouble when we dwell on them. I struggle with that which is why I find reaching out to others to be helpful because it gets me outside of myself. 9 days is awesome, the first few weeks are certainly the hardest and this isn't an easy time of year. However, I have found the holidays much more enjoyable (and MEMORABLE lol) without alcohol.

cropduster74

thank you all, it really helps-it really does. Cheers

Soberwolf

Lots of great advice already all il add is remember how you felt that made you find this place and remember how the first 48h were my friend

Drinking isn't going to be fun or enjoyable not once you play the tape & think this through ?

fini

today is a perfect day to be sober

reframing can change the entire scene!

Dee74

I've been a one man band pumping laying down tracks for several various projects...

I was just thinking how much I wouldn't have got done today had I been drinking

Have a great Christmas cropduster

Delilah1

Definitely play the tape through to tomorrow morning. You will wake up with double digits tomorrow, rather than back at day one.

PurpleKnight

Keep pushing through Cropduster!! You can do this!!