Runswithspoons

Ah, yes, and scrutinizing the beer menu at restaurants, ostensibly trying to decide on the best IPA to go with what I would be eating, when I was actually looking for the highest ABV sold in a 16-ounce glass. In hopes that I wouldn't be finished with #1 embarrassingly quicker than the rest of the table.

Dee74

4 out of the 5 liquor stores where I used to live have closed down since I stopped drinking. True story.

D

VikingGF

I was a regular at 2 of my town’s liquor stores, and I worked hard to space my visits out and rotate other places in, but they knew me well enough to talk to. Seems ridiculous now, I shake my head at the effort I made to appear a casual, care-free drinker while I died a little more inside every time I swung those damn doors open.

Takeaction

That’s wild, Dee!

This topic couldn’t resonate to me more. There is a gas station about a half a mile from my house, another gas station about a mile away and three other options 2 miles away, and I would rotate between all of them! I knew they all knew that I had a problem. I can’t imagine the things that they would say about me when I would buy alcohol at 7am.

Now, when I go to my nearest gas station and just buy a soda and a candy, they always ask “are you sure that’s it?”

Hell yeah that’s it!
I’m so glad I don’t have to be embarrassed anymore.

joe801

The sheer amount of volume did not fully strike me until l quit drinking. Round a 30 pack of beer off to 3 gallons that could be put down in a day.

And then think about easily putting down 3 gallons of soda, coffee, milk, orange juice, even water in a day or less. It's insanity by volume alone aside from being poison. Maybe over 10 gallons a week, maybe more. That's enough to fill a gas tank of a small car.

biminiblue

That's a shockingly good sentence.

I still on occasion see someone I knew from AA meetings at the store buying alcohol...I always want to hug them. I don't, of course.

Hodd

^ Must be a little bit heartbreaking to see, Bimini.

I shouldn’t judge, but whenever I see what looks to me like a heavy drinker buying alcohol, my heart sinks for them and also the old me.

About a year and a half ago, I was back in my hometown and saw a guy swigging from a vodka bottle at 9am. I shouldn’t think so much, but it upset me so much, I posted about it on my hometown FB page. A few people said it was good I cared, but the majority said it wasn’t my business and a few replies were quite hostile. The lesson learned is, unless it’s family or close friends, look the other way ☹️

Cityboy

Hodd, I think that for many people, FB and other public online forums are their chance to let fly with snotty commentary with little or no filter. I wouldn't worry about comments on FB.

I rarely go in the convenience store anymore as there is no need. Every other person is coming out with a case of beer as I did for decades.

FiveTries

Hodd

^^ Hi Cityboy, I agree. FB isn’t the place for such topics. The nasty comments and those telling me to mind my own business were brushed aside, but what surprised me were the comments making excuses for drinking at 9am. People said he might’ve had bad news and that a big football game was on that day. I didn’t attempt to answer such comments. Anyone swigging vodka at 9am isn’t in a good place.

DriGuy

If Australia's economy tanks, we will know why.

originalname

true but back in my controlled drinking days, i was going through the san diego airport and had a stone ipa from their brewery at 8am. i was never a morning drinker i just wanted to have a beer from their brewpub. granted, that was more a memento experience than swigging generic vodka.

Dee74

D

RunningScared

I'm not sure why you would want to be like that. I became a raging alcoholic and all I ever drank was beer. My alcoholism is no different from someone who drinks hard liquor.

RunningScared

Hey Hodd, give me a few days and I'll update you about my travel plans. When I lived in Denver I'd always go to the same liquor store. I knew everyone by name. 2 six packs every day. I'll tell you what, I've never seen as many liquor stores as there are in Denver. You could drive into any small strip mall and find a liquor store. Liquor stores used to be closed on Sunday, but that changed when I was there. Buying liquor on Sunday was no problem because I'd go into a local Japanese restaurant and buy a couple of six packs of Japanese beer.

Zencat

I had absolutely no shame in my game. Talk all you want about me behind my back all you but if i catch you doing it...
Yea in my drinking days drugging as well, I had little interest in being alive let along what people say. Unless I was looking to punch someone, people would talk about that fo sore, my life then was everything is F-it I'm probably going to jail anyway.

Go to jail when your older, the youngsters will call you POP's. No thank you, sober is working good on me.

Hodd

^^ Hi RS, I can’t wait to hear about your travel plans. I might be heading to that region in April depending on how things go with my new friend. I really hope you’ll be steering clear of booze out there. I find fresh coconut juice way nicer, and it’s not something you can get in the west. Hope it’s a good holiday 👍🙂

Wes B

There's a ridiculous amount of shops to buy alcohol where I live considering the size of our town, its everywhere you look. I used to mix it up and use different shops but I could never remember where or when I was last in each shop so eventually was like, screw it, I'll just keep using the closest one.

I didn't really care after a while that they would see me coming in every day, I was mostly worried about bumping into people I know, friends or family members (again, small town).. it was so embarrassing

Dee74

+1
beer and cheap wine can kill you too.

D

Tetrax

Same.