Wrapping Up Day 10: Big Test Today...
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Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 782
Wrapping Up Day 10: Big Test Today...
As I've said in other threads, I travel a lot for my occupation. I had a bit of a respite in December which allowed me to detox. So today is Day 10.
Big, big test, which I am passing right now. Airports and planes present a very easy, and tempting, place to get a drink. Right now I'm in a restaurant with a bar in the Newark airport. Drinking club soda. So if I can avoid the hotel bar this evening, day 10 is mission accomplished.
Things are getting marginally better. Mood is all over the place. I was deeply depressed this morning. But settled down in the afternoon. Feeling ok now.
thanks again to all of you for your support. You all are about the only folks who know what I am going through. so it means a lot.
Big, big test, which I am passing right now. Airports and planes present a very easy, and tempting, place to get a drink. Right now I'm in a restaurant with a bar in the Newark airport. Drinking club soda. So if I can avoid the hotel bar this evening, day 10 is mission accomplished.
Things are getting marginally better. Mood is all over the place. I was deeply depressed this morning. But settled down in the afternoon. Feeling ok now.
thanks again to all of you for your support. You all are about the only folks who know what I am going through. so it means a lot.
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Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Northwest
Posts: 4,215
You're doing great. And behalf of all seatmates everywhere, thank you for not having booze breath.
Thing is, I know the voice likes to say that no one will ever know. But you will and worse, your addiction will know and would then have a foot wedged in the door. So one drink at the airport leads to two in the room to three in the hotel bar....
You can do this! And it's amazing how much less exhausting and aggravating travel is when you aren't drinking, drunk, or hungover.
Sending you strength.
Thing is, I know the voice likes to say that no one will ever know. But you will and worse, your addiction will know and would then have a foot wedged in the door. So one drink at the airport leads to two in the room to three in the hotel bar....
You can do this! And it's amazing how much less exhausting and aggravating travel is when you aren't drinking, drunk, or hungover.
Sending you strength.
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Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 1,462
Horn your doing fantastic. Keep thinking how long it's taken you to get ten days sober. Don't give up on it now. It will all start to get better from here. Little by little each day you will feel better. We are here for you my friend. You can do it. Keep playing the tape forward.
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 25,373
You know...there is alcohol everywhere. It is easy to get a drink any time.
I don't believe that you would drink if, "no one knew." You were dying to get into detox. You were thrilled to get that over with.
I don't drink any more. It doesn't matter who knows or how many bottles I get within arm's length. It isn't an option - no matter how many little thoughts I have about it. I don't drink. No matter what.
I don't believe that you would drink if, "no one knew." You were dying to get into detox. You were thrilled to get that over with.
I don't drink any more. It doesn't matter who knows or how many bottles I get within arm's length. It isn't an option - no matter how many little thoughts I have about it. I don't drink. No matter what.
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Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Europe
Posts: 523
From my own slightly horrible experience with the boozy airport and flight surroundings I recommend finding a good distraction. If you remember from reading my post, for me the worst trigger was being bored and confronted with alcohol the whole time without any possibility to escape the situation. My boyfriend loves drawing which I find a wonderful hobby and he takes his sketchbook everywhere with him. So in the waiting area or on the plane he can escape into his own little world and forget about all the stress around him by sketching.
I don't know if that's the main problem for you but maybe having something to do that keeps your brain occupied while also de-stressing you would be beneficial in situations like this.
I don't know if that's the main problem for you but maybe having something to do that keeps your brain occupied while also de-stressing you would be beneficial in situations like this.
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: MN
Posts: 8,704
Originally Posted by Horn95 
Well, I got into my hotel too late, and no gym on property. But I avoided the bar (which was tecnically a "pub"). So successfully into Day 11.
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: here, now.
Posts: 1,236
Ten Days. Good for you. Really. I understand how hard this is. I travel a lot for my work also. It used to be more than it is now; I was "on the road" with every other weekend "home" for four full years... and staying sober was really difficult for me. Not that that was an excuse either because it took almost two years to get sober being in one place.
I started doing different things in airports this year. I've only been away from home for a total of about 2 1/2 months out of the 12 in 2016, which was much better than 11/12 from 1/2011- 1/2014. For instance, I don't go to airport bars anymore. If I'm starving for the food, maybe. But Newark also has that fantastic place where you can get serve-yourself salads and stuff, and you don't need to sit at a bar for it. Dallas has a fancy herbal tea place and yes it's expensive but it's cheaper than airport cocktails!
I did early sobriety this time with a last minute month long assignment to a different part of the country. What worked for me was establishing a routine for the evenings. Hotel bars are difficult but for me I always drank alone in my hotel room. Every morning I would drop the bottles in the garbage can by the elevator when I was on my way downstairs. So this past Sep/Oct when I was newly sober I established little things that helped me, in addition of course to spending a LOT of time on this site.
In the morning, I made my own coffee. This allowed me to drink coffee I really liked, but also to make my life more of MINE. Traveling a lot does a psychological number on all of us. This was something that was really great for me. I drank the coffee outside, sometimes walking in a park near my hotel. At night after work I came to my room, logged into SR, checked into my class, called home, got some food (usually take out) and went for a walk in said park after eating said food, then logged into SR again. I would stop at Whole Foods market and get fancy mint flavored seltzer ($2/bottle) every day on my way back to the hotel. It felt a little bit like stopping for a bottle of wine, and while I don't do that anymore, easing out of that habit was good for me.
I focused a lot on gratitude.
When I was drinking, I thought hotel living and being on the road for work was fine. Getting sober I realized that it really is a little nuts on the psyche and the body. All those people who told me year after year that it was so difficult, and all the while I was saying "eh, they are so vanilla".... well, they were healthy and I was not. But it is doable.
Forgive me, it's just exciting to see someone else who probably understands the very particular ways that things were for me.
I started doing different things in airports this year. I've only been away from home for a total of about 2 1/2 months out of the 12 in 2016, which was much better than 11/12 from 1/2011- 1/2014. For instance, I don't go to airport bars anymore. If I'm starving for the food, maybe. But Newark also has that fantastic place where you can get serve-yourself salads and stuff, and you don't need to sit at a bar for it. Dallas has a fancy herbal tea place and yes it's expensive but it's cheaper than airport cocktails!
I did early sobriety this time with a last minute month long assignment to a different part of the country. What worked for me was establishing a routine for the evenings. Hotel bars are difficult but for me I always drank alone in my hotel room. Every morning I would drop the bottles in the garbage can by the elevator when I was on my way downstairs. So this past Sep/Oct when I was newly sober I established little things that helped me, in addition of course to spending a LOT of time on this site.
In the morning, I made my own coffee. This allowed me to drink coffee I really liked, but also to make my life more of MINE. Traveling a lot does a psychological number on all of us. This was something that was really great for me. I drank the coffee outside, sometimes walking in a park near my hotel. At night after work I came to my room, logged into SR, checked into my class, called home, got some food (usually take out) and went for a walk in said park after eating said food, then logged into SR again. I would stop at Whole Foods market and get fancy mint flavored seltzer ($2/bottle) every day on my way back to the hotel. It felt a little bit like stopping for a bottle of wine, and while I don't do that anymore, easing out of that habit was good for me.
I focused a lot on gratitude.
When I was drinking, I thought hotel living and being on the road for work was fine. Getting sober I realized that it really is a little nuts on the psyche and the body. All those people who told me year after year that it was so difficult, and all the while I was saying "eh, they are so vanilla".... well, they were healthy and I was not. But it is doable.
Forgive me, it's just exciting to see someone else who probably understands the very particular ways that things were for me.
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