Sober Vegas
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 87
Sober Vegas
257 days sober today and I'm heading off to Las Vegas tomorrow for short celebratory weekend with just the wife and I. The 257 days is not what we're celebrating, by the way, but it will be on my mind.
Ah, Vegas, where liquor flows and all you have to do is sit by a video poker machine to get free drinks flowing. The last time I was there, I was drinking so much that the bartender advised me I would have to 'bet up' to keep receiving comp drinks.
I don't have any reservations whatsoever and I have an invisible barrier now between myself and booze. It is going to be liberating, I am going to eat my weight in food, but there will be no temptation whatsoever to drink. I will have full control and be able to fully enjoy the experience, the lights, the food, the people watching. I will laugh to myself at drunk people without being a hypocrite.
I am going to fully relish being a sober guy in a drunk man's world.
SC
Ah, Vegas, where liquor flows and all you have to do is sit by a video poker machine to get free drinks flowing. The last time I was there, I was drinking so much that the bartender advised me I would have to 'bet up' to keep receiving comp drinks.
I don't have any reservations whatsoever and I have an invisible barrier now between myself and booze. It is going to be liberating, I am going to eat my weight in food, but there will be no temptation whatsoever to drink. I will have full control and be able to fully enjoy the experience, the lights, the food, the people watching. I will laugh to myself at drunk people without being a hypocrite.
I am going to fully relish being a sober guy in a drunk man's world.
SC
Member
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 1,614
That is super cool friend. And I think the same way. Eat some goodies . play a little . it is Vegas. And people watch. Should be interesting for ya.lol. congrats on sober time. I'm at 137 now and still blazing the sober path. ✌
Member
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Colorado
Posts: 347
I was there for four days and it never occurred to me to drink....lots of free diet pop though. ....... 
May I suggest the afternoon buffet at the Paradise on Fremont Street? It was, well, paradise, and the waitress was so nice I gave her a hundred bucks!
May I suggest the afternoon buffet at the Paradise on Fremont Street? It was, well, paradise, and the waitress was so nice I gave her a hundred bucks!
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Colorado
Posts: 3,474
,
What DontRemember said 2x.
Lost Wages is a natural lay-by spot for us and the RV Trailer when heading down to the SoCal Desert, and beyond.
The '30s Post Office, converted to The Mob Museum, is amazing. Especially the Floor on U.S. Prohibition. Near and dear to us here. The National Atomic Testing Museum was fascinating, too. The Pinball Machine Museum is fab, and you can play the Machines. The Red Rocks Park to the West is stunning. On and on, even though you'll have a compressed schedule.
I saw ZZ Top out there some Months ago. We tend to skip The Strip, since we don't gamble.
LOTS for us Sober Folks to do. Like, dodge the Booze-infused Slurpee samples some Mall Employees try to hand you when in the Casino Shopping areas. Sheesh!
.
What DontRemember said 2x.
Lost Wages is a natural lay-by spot for us and the RV Trailer when heading down to the SoCal Desert, and beyond.
The '30s Post Office, converted to The Mob Museum, is amazing. Especially the Floor on U.S. Prohibition. Near and dear to us here. The National Atomic Testing Museum was fascinating, too. The Pinball Machine Museum is fab, and you can play the Machines. The Red Rocks Park to the West is stunning. On and on, even though you'll have a compressed schedule.
I saw ZZ Top out there some Months ago. We tend to skip The Strip, since we don't gamble.
LOTS for us Sober Folks to do. Like, dodge the Booze-infused Slurpee samples some Mall Employees try to hand you when in the Casino Shopping areas. Sheesh!
.
Blue Belt
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Soberville, USA
Posts: 4,174
I have spent tons of time in vegas.
Folks that drink early in the day don't make it much past sun down.
When I look around the town in evening, not many folks are really drinking. Some are, but most are not.
Folks that belly up to the bar and play the machines seem to be the hardest drinkers.
I sometimes get a little jealous for just a few moments, but I know those folks drinking will pay the piper in the morning and for days, weeks, months, and years to follow.
The food in vegas is amazing. The shows are great.
A few pro tip secrets....
Groupon has amazing deals.
Also, Pampas Brazilian Steak House has a great brunch deal that can't be beat.
The Miracle Mile is a great place to shop, in door with AC, and they have great shows there as well.
Since sometimes I want to spend a few bucks on a show or gambling, I make sure to get a players card wherever I play.
They comp free rooms, buffets, etc. The more I risk, the more rewards I get.
I also took advantage and grabbed a Rewards Visa from Caesars Resorts. That got me all sorts of cool stuff.
Have fun!
Thanks.
Folks that drink early in the day don't make it much past sun down.
When I look around the town in evening, not many folks are really drinking. Some are, but most are not.
Folks that belly up to the bar and play the machines seem to be the hardest drinkers.
I sometimes get a little jealous for just a few moments, but I know those folks drinking will pay the piper in the morning and for days, weeks, months, and years to follow.
The food in vegas is amazing. The shows are great.
A few pro tip secrets....
Groupon has amazing deals.
Also, Pampas Brazilian Steak House has a great brunch deal that can't be beat.
The Miracle Mile is a great place to shop, in door with AC, and they have great shows there as well.
Since sometimes I want to spend a few bucks on a show or gambling, I make sure to get a players card wherever I play.
They comp free rooms, buffets, etc. The more I risk, the more rewards I get.
I also took advantage and grabbed a Rewards Visa from Caesars Resorts. That got me all sorts of cool stuff.
Have fun!
Thanks.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 5,169
Vegas seems like a strange place. I lived 90 miles from there back in the 70s and I went there on occasion. It almost seems like when you go there, you are supposed to get with the program. You know the drinking, spending, carousing, and gambling, but there is another side of Vegas too. Granted this was 50 years ago, but back then it was a great place to shop when you were off the strip. I bought some very good things and very good prices. It's like one side of Vegas was totally insane, and the other side was totally sane, maybe more so than other places. Weird.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Northeast US
Posts: 45
Have fun SC!
I visited Vegas for the first time ever back in March. I was on my way home from Zion (which was gorgeous). I was by myself and had a hotel room for one night, so I decided to just go lounge by the pool to pass the time...
I ended up making friends with a group of people my age and we drank the entire day away. I woke up naked in my hotel bed (with no memory of how I even found my room), red vomit on the floor because I had apparently tried to drink a vitamin water before going to sleep. Thankfully I caught my flight back home but my hangover was AWFUL.
Sorry for the TMI, but that just really gave me a great dose of "this is why I can't drink ever again".
That said, I might like to go back to Vegas and experience it sober. My jam really is the mountains and forests, but there has to be some great people watching there. I was probably the subject of the people watching last time around. Ugh.
I visited Vegas for the first time ever back in March. I was on my way home from Zion (which was gorgeous). I was by myself and had a hotel room for one night, so I decided to just go lounge by the pool to pass the time...
I ended up making friends with a group of people my age and we drank the entire day away. I woke up naked in my hotel bed (with no memory of how I even found my room), red vomit on the floor because I had apparently tried to drink a vitamin water before going to sleep. Thankfully I caught my flight back home but my hangover was AWFUL.
Sorry for the TMI, but that just really gave me a great dose of "this is why I can't drink ever again".
That said, I might like to go back to Vegas and experience it sober. My jam really is the mountains and forests, but there has to be some great people watching there. I was probably the subject of the people watching last time around. Ugh.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,122
I heard from a someone in recovery that when they went to Vegas sober, it was the best trip. He told me he had no idea how much fun and stuff to do there was.
Hope you you have a great trip and I’m jealous of all the yummy food you will partake in.
Hope you you have a great trip and I’m jealous of all the yummy food you will partake in.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 39
29 year old male ~ it was my first time there. I did a bachelor party where I was the best man. I was about a year alcohol free when I went. Honestly I still smoke weed so that was the longest I’ve been high for a single period of time due to their legalization lmao.
That was about 4 months ago. It was a huge changing point in my life. I seem to overthink/reflect when I am high. Vegas was nothing like what I pictured in my mind (all I had to go off of was Martin Scorsese’s Casino and fear and loathing). It made me realize how lucky I was to be living where I was. The guys I went with were spending money recklessly and I just watched, lit as fff, as this whole fake fun was taking place.
I came home and got got through the wedding. I think it put a strain on me and my buddy’s relationship. I think he was offended that I was changing as a person and he took that personally. I focused on my job and in those 4 months I turned my career path around.
Was it hard not to drink there? Not really. Was it hard to have fun there? Yea, kind of. But I went with an old group I used to hang out with and it showed me how others viewed me throughout the past 10 years. I was wondering why so many people moved on and I got a first hand look at how I used to act. That part was priceless.
That was about 4 months ago. It was a huge changing point in my life. I seem to overthink/reflect when I am high. Vegas was nothing like what I pictured in my mind (all I had to go off of was Martin Scorsese’s Casino and fear and loathing). It made me realize how lucky I was to be living where I was. The guys I went with were spending money recklessly and I just watched, lit as fff, as this whole fake fun was taking place.
I came home and got got through the wedding. I think it put a strain on me and my buddy’s relationship. I think he was offended that I was changing as a person and he took that personally. I focused on my job and in those 4 months I turned my career path around.
Was it hard not to drink there? Not really. Was it hard to have fun there? Yea, kind of. But I went with an old group I used to hang out with and it showed me how others viewed me throughout the past 10 years. I was wondering why so many people moved on and I got a first hand look at how I used to act. That part was priceless.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 87
Hope you have a fun, safe and enjoying trip! Fwiw, in recovery sometimes we all express how we know for sure, something isn't going to be a trigger. The crazy thing about this disease is sometimes a feeling can pop out of nowhere. For instance Im not going to my brother in laws birthday tomorrow, because I know from my first year of sobriety, Im not ready for that. I may be next year, who knows.
I really hope you have a great time, and definitely not trying to preach. You just might want to have a couple contacts you can call if any strange feelings do pop up, or some fun activities where booze arent flowing. Congratulations on your recovery and hitting this marker, awesome accomplishment.
I really hope you have a great time, and definitely not trying to preach. You just might want to have a couple contacts you can call if any strange feelings do pop up, or some fun activities where booze arent flowing. Congratulations on your recovery and hitting this marker, awesome accomplishment.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 25,373
Originally Posted by August252015 
"An invisible barrier" between us and drinking is alcoholic thinking. Hope you reframe that because it leaped out at me as the possibly fatal wrinkle in your (kind of) plan.
Good luck.
Good luck.
What do you mean by this?
I also have an invisible barrier between me and alcohol. It is a spiritual protection. There are many things I don't let inside that barrier, and alcohol is just one of them. You could look at it as, "healthy boundaries."
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
