There was no avoiding this party so I went there a little apprehensive about how I would react to everyone drinking and have a grand old time.
We got there early, well before most of the other guests arrived and I ordered myself a sparking water with ice and asked for it in a mixed drink glass with one of those cocktail straws.
As the party got under way a few people I knew casually asked me what it was I was drinking. This was the one thing that I was concerned about. I told a little white lie and said "Vodka Tonic". After a while people who were drinking didn't even bother asking, they didn't care. I kept the same glass all night just having it topped off when it was 1/2 full so people couldn't ask me if I wanted another.
I had honestly thought I would get in and get out early. What happened was that I really started enjoying myself. I socialized with the moderate drinkers and stayed away from the hard core except for the occasional, "hey how's it going".
As the night went on, I felt really good and stayed longer than I thought I'd be able to without feeling uncomfortable.
I guess what I'm tryng to say here in this post is that I was really happy that I could go to a big event with friends and co-workers, not drink and still have a good time. It felt great to be able to have a fun conversation late night whilst not repeating myself and still remember what I had talked about this morning.
I did pay attention to people who were drinking a lot. I wasn't judging them by any means but it felt good to be the one who was not spilling drinks and hugging everyone in sight.
I feel as though this was a big step in being sober and having this under my belt will help stave off any anxiety I may have about nights out and socializing at events like this.
It just feels really good and I actually feel very proud.
That's all,
mike
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