First gatherings of summer season and it went impeccably!
 

Morning all - I took this Tuesday off from work to recover from the weekend (not at all because of a hangover!)

A group of 8 of us went away for the weekend to a little vacation house in Copake, NY. We had a private lake, dock, paddle boats, canoes, and kayaks to use along with a grill. A friend brought fishing poles for catch and release and it was a blast. I haven't fished since I was about 8 years old, so it was such a thrill to get my first catch. We went hiking to a waterfall in MA and it truly was a tough hike. It was a drop of about 300 feet and then we had to climb back up. Extremely challenging for me since I'm overweight, but the payout was enormous. The falls were beautiful and I was thrilled I got to experience it with a group of friends that I call family. I'm also still feeling the effects of paddle boating! At night we either sat around the large dining room table and played Yahtzee, or we ate S'mores by a fire. I took some time out for myself and crocheted by the lake while the rest fished.

Once experiencing life sober - it's easy to recognize why some people choose to just not drink. Life is so much better without it. I was clear headed enough to have a one on one conversation with a woman that our friend has been dating for a year. Even on New Year's Eve I tried to have a conversation with her, but with the fogginess of the booze swimming around in my head - I barely remember our discussion.

One of the major eyeopeners for me I think, was how little everyone else actually drank and even how little everyone talked about drinking. It made me realize how much of an outsider I must have been in my actions.

I've still got a long way to go, but I am so grateful to have found the support of this website and my new found appreciation of living soberly.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

I am so glad for you, Nikka. Keep doing the great work.
It wasn't until I stopped drinking that I realized that most people don't t drink or drink very little.
Huh. Who knew?

Glad you enjoyed a sober holiday Nikki. Everything is so much better sober!

:tyou

:c011::tyou:scoregood:grouphug:

I think it's often that way. I was so used to obsessing about alcohol, it was a bit a surprise when most people didn't pay much attention to it.

I'm glad you had a great time and good for you for hiking a tough trail.