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When we don't want to drink, we are just using the same opaque thermal to-go cup so nobody knows what's in it. Most of our parties are BYOB anyway. Not a huge bar scene, just Happy Hour by the pool. If I was at a bar, I'd probably get OJ, since I prefer screwdrivers anyway. My booze of choice is vodka, and I always drink it in a mix, so I never taste it anyway. I just make the same drink without, so my ingrained "habit" still feels satisfied. Frankly, I'm amazed it works as well as it does.
Yes, AA meetings are great - but not every recovering person is super involved in AA.
I was just wondering how the people in recovery FEEL during these holidays - what goes through their minds and how difficult it might be for them.
Someone suggested to me that I look around and try to notice that not EVERYONE is drinking when you go to these parties. It just seems like it.
I can still go to parties and enjoy myself. I just prefer to stay away from people who have had too much to drink. Often, I just prefer to stay home.
Yeah, but I thought you were supposed to stay away from "people, places, and things" that would trigger you.
Now there is hard liquor in what looks like soft drinks.
You can't hide forever and you have to manage your triggers. Eventually, you will go to a wedding or a friend's birthday party, or some event where there will be alcohol. You'll have to be able to navigate that, eventually, unless by your own choice you make a decision to stay away from all alcohol not matter the situation. That might not be the healthiest approach, but I'll bet it's one many take.
I didn't need a special occasion to drink back in the day. Toward the end I pretty much got drunk on my couch by myself. I didn't want other people to see me that way so a gathering wouldn't trigger me. After almost 6 years of not drinking I really don't think about it much anymore. It was stupid and I learned my lesson. People can drink all they want around me and I couldn't care less. However, if you left a bottle of whiskey on my kitchen table I suspect it would only be a matter of time before I talked myself into drinking it so we don't keep alcohol in the house except for a few beers my husband likes to have once in a while.
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