Meraviglioso

Good morning all and happy Sunday to you. I hope it is hangover free and will be a nice, sober day for you!

I'm up bright and early as I have my karate exam today and the nerves woke me earlier than I would have liked. I am excited, I have worked so hard for this. I hope to report back later with my yellow belt (first step up from the beginner white belt).

Here's my concern. I have planned a wonderful dinner party for my class this evening, which I am equally excited about. I love to cook and love all the hard work I have done in my garden. I am going to make a traditional American bbq for my friends which they are all very curious about- ribs, hamburgers on the grill, potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans and corn on the cob. I have watermelon, cantaloupe, cherries and other fruits for dessert.

The others are bringing beverages and gelato. I am a notorious perfectionist and over-planner/over-doer (I know I have made too much food for example.) and as such I got worried that there would not be enough to drink. So when buying the sparkling water and ginger beers/other non-alcoholic drinks, I picked up some beers and a few bottles of prosecco.

I am NOT worried about drinking tonight. That has not crossed my mind as a worry. What does worry me now is te come down of emotions/excitement/stress from the exam and all the time I have this afternoon to set up and finish cooking with this alcohol available to me in my house. I made a big mistake in buying it, I admit that.

I am not going to drink it, I will stay strong, but I can't lie to myself and say that no temptation will be there. I may surprise myself and it may be fine, I may have no temptation. But I know myself and I know my history so I wanted to come here and post about this before any issues come up.

Coincidently, yesterday marked 90 days sober after my last (confined to one day, but still) drinking session. Nothing to throw away.

Lesson learned, wen you tell others to bring the drinks, let them bring the drinks. If they don't bring enough alcohol to satisfy themselves they can always drink he water and other beverages you supplied.....

Dee74

Congrats on 90 days Mera.

Nothings more important than your well being and your recovery.

If it's really going to bother you, collect it all up and put it in the bin.

If you really feel you need to provide alcohol tonight, put it in the garage or anywhere you can't see it.

I agree with you that this is a problem it's best not to have. Make it BYO in future, or make your house dry like mine is

D

Maudcat

Hi, Mera.
How about sending the alcohol home with people after the party?
That's what we do, and it works a treat.
It's out of the house, and others are happy to take it.

Meraviglioso

It is in the garage now, which is outside my gate, across the street, under lock, so no easy access. I'll bring it out just before the party. It was a BYO even, i just got worried about not being a good enough hostess.... stupid.
My house is generally dry, but I made an exception for this as I feel strong enough to handle myself during the party. I even had to go buy a new wine opener as I had thrown all mine out!
I'll stick close to here if I feel wobbly at all. Just wanted to post in advance to shore up on my reserve.

Meraviglioso

I will definitely do that, i don't want it/nor need it here after the party.

Thanks!

Delilah1

How are things going Mera?

Meraviglioso

Great! I passed! Now a little nap and then to prepare. No thoughts of drinking!

Gottalife

Are there any spare seats at the table? Sounds like an amazing spread you are putting on. Well done for getting back into the mainstream of life.

Anna

Congratulations on passing your exam, Mera. And, I'm glad you are doing well. Enjoy your dinner.

tekink

Congrats!

Remember, if the alcohol runs out the drinkers will then leave! Nothing wrong with that.

Meraviglioso

The day and party were PERFECT!!!! I had so much (sober) fun! All the guests were amazed by the food and my garden and the table. They all drank responsibly except for one (minor in age) girl. She got very drunk. I tried to tel her to calm down, take it easy, but she kept pouring herself all kinds of stuff- she is going to be hating it today- beer, prosecco, wine, mirto, limoncello, a mix of everything. I felt a bit of guilt for this happening at my house, but she is not my child. Also the drinking age here is 16 and she is 16, so technically I couldn't say no to something illegal in my house because it was not illegal. But I felt bad for her.