It's Friday and I need a drink! smoke! toot! Weekenders Thread 11-13th Aug
 

Most jobs are pressurized one way or another.

The job itself might be straightforward but tedious and repetitive. You might be overworked, difficult deadlines that approach over and over. Self Employed? - do I have enough clients, do I have enough time? Sales targets (this would be my area)

And of course there are bosses and co-workers and customers, mostly OK but there is always one or two...

Come Friday afternoon and I was more that ready to get away from all that plus of course, when I was younger there was that added pleasure of meeting people I was attracted to, girls in my case but whatever your preference in this regard the principle is the same.

I accepted without question that this would include intoxicants, in my case "good" old booze, for others it might be weed or coke or a combination of things.

The reason for doing this was never questioned or examined I, we, just needed it right?

Of course even the most superficial questioning of this shows that we don't "need" it at all, quite the opposite. Ironically even the improved chances of meeting someone we are attracted to disappear once we are in our cups.

Oh and the daytime part of the weekend? Mostly a write off.

All the fun things we want and look forward to at the weekend are ruined by alcohol and drug consumption - let's help each other enjoy the weekend without them.

Everybody is welcome.

Shotgun! Yaaay! Thanks, sao.

Yup! I'm going through a rather stressful time at work. Plus, I'm soooo tired. My mind is tired. Time will heal me, though. I know I'll be feeling better soon. Just got to get through this difficult time.

Congratulations on shotgun Lava! I understand what you are going through.

Not looking forward to tonight, I knew it was coming. Being our last evening of this trip, the whole team is planning dinner at a local craft brewery. Plus my old "double fisted" drinking pal showed up yesterday.

I looked up the menu already and I'm pleased to see they also have craft sodas.

So I'm telling myself that I'm just going to have to learn how to get thru situations like this to strengthen my sobriety. Besides, I will enjoy the company of most of the people at the table, I'll just have to be sure to sit with the right people.

I'm feeling like I've picked up a virus so I might just end up excusing myself.

I'm in!

Right on, sao!

Oh and thanks for the thread Sao.

Thanks, Sao! I'm in!

I hope your work pressure eases up soon, Lava.

I'm in, thanks for the great starter Sao! Congrats on shotgun Lava!

Hi Lunar :)

Dragon, I think the idea of skipping the dinner might be a good idea. Or, at least getting out of there once dinner is done.

Ahhhhhhhh yes, weekends, the portion of the week that beer commercials have long told us is made for having fun (fun being the image of people holding beers). I mean, it's Friday, it's 5:00, what time is it? I bet most of you remember it's Miller time! We deserve it!

If you watched any tv as a child growing up these images have been ingrained into our heads for a long time now. We have long been taught this is the right thing to do.

I know that since I've learned the truth (for me) that I far more enjoy going back to work on Monday thinking of all the great things I got to do because I don't drink.

I'm riding up the coast this weekend to see family and have fried clams. I love that I'm going to be able to do this and have no worry about driving home. The ride will be beautiful.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I'm in! Great opener. Yes, work, ugh! I'm with Lava right now. In a difficult time of steadily building pressure for a few more weeks. After that, the fallout both positive and negative to sort through and then...on to the next big project, probably.

Eyes wide open. I cannot afford any shenanigans. This will involve an extended hotel stay in a different city. I can handle it.

IN!

I put my notice in at the day job. Two more weeks and then I am working only for me. (Which means my boss is a maniac!)

Your ability to put things into perspective is a gift saoutchik. Yeah, the weekend! Time to blow off some steam, decompress, socialize! Its all fine and dandy until we have to face the music Sunday or Monday and are a mental and physical wreck for 36-48 hours, right? Glad I am working on weekends now, keeps me busy. Weekends are actually productive nowadays. Because I am sober, I can do anything at anytime. Wasn't always the case.

I'm in!
Hey - when I had a really stressful job I didn't let the pesky fact that it wasn't the weekend yet get in the way of drinking - every stressful day (all of them) meant I had a reason/excuse for blowing off some steam. Problem was, by the time I left the stressful job, I had gotten into the habit and routine of drinking just about every day, even though I had no job for quite a while. So then my excuse was that I didn't have to get up early for work, so why not get wasted on a Tuesday? That addictive voice will use any and all reasons to keep us down.

Now that I work full-time again, Monday through Friday, I treasure my weekends and know that I can do whatever I want, even if that's just going for walks and taking care of my house and relaxing. No worries about the consequences from drinking, and no worries about feeling like crap on Monday morning. Such freedom!

I'm in! Thanks, Sao.

Hey that's great Nonsensical! All the very best to you, I know it has been something you have been working towards.

I still have over three weeks leave left. I need to go somewhere quiet where nothing much happens, Guam looks the very thing.

Hi sao, thanks for the thread and I'm in!

Afraid I will have to spend most of the weekend catching up on work due to a hectic schedule, but at least I now stand a chance of actually getting some of that done. Spent many a Monday morning resenting not only that I had done none of the catching up that I swore I would do, but now also had a hangover, the intensity of which easily outmatched that of the strongest double espresso imaginable.

Sao! lol about Guam! :lmao

Congratulations, Nona!

Speaking of scandalous TV beer ads from a previous generation, I grew up with this one in Philadelphia (set to a polka tune):

"Schafer (stomp!)-
Is the-(stomp!)
One beer to have-
When you're-(stomp!)
Having-More-Than-One..."

:fright:

I remember that one too Gilmer.

There was a whole lot of subliminal messages going on in those commercials.

Really looking forward to my day trip this weekend and just discovered an added bonus. Originally it was going to be me, my brother (an extreme alcoholic), and my husband driving up. My brother called me last Saturday, three sheets to the wind, to tell me that "his friend" (aka drinking buddy) was going to drive up with him so I didn't need to pick him up because (insert insane and ridiculous reason for bringing a drinking buddy along here). I had all I could do not to laugh and say "Really? you're going to make up a story for one who knows all too well how to make up stories?"

Anyway, I looked up the place we're all meeting for lunch and took a look at the menu.

Guess what?

NO ALCOHOL SERVED THERE!


Bwahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

I don' t mean to be mean but I wasn't looking forward to my brother's antics. He would have started drinking. Then, we would have all started reminiscing about our childhood days spent in that area and he would have started in with his ugly cry. I am not cruel and heartless, I feel the way I do because the cry is not due to his sensitivity and being nostalgic, it's because he is drunk and it's something to cry in his beer about. You all know the story.

Anyway, pleased to find out there's no alcohol at the location. :)

I know exactly what you mean LadyBlue, drunken, morose sentimentality - anecdotally it seems to be mostly a guy thing. It sounds like a wonderful trip, anything involving fresh fried clams has to be good.

LadyBlue and Gilmer, on the topic of corny beer add slogans, I just have to add this cheesy one that was around here in South Africa years back when I was a student (of course it had a tune to it as well):

"Nothing goes down, Goes Down, GOES DOWN, better than a Castle Lite!"