Breaking the routine

[Softy]

Saturday. Go to watch my football team at home. Same as I have done for 30 years. My football team is like my religion and their stadium is my church. I go to the game with lads I went to school with and we have been through thick and thin together. Every time we finish watching a home game we go to the pub to dissect the team's performance. Tonight is my fifth Saturday night AF but just my second when there has been a game. I used the rugby final on tv as my excuse, took the car and dropped the gang off at the pub and went straight home. This hasn't bothered me, I didn't want to drink. The rugby was fantastic. However there's a bit of me that thinks and wonders how I manage to keep lifelong friends and a lifelong routine, which revolves around fortnightly beer and football when I cant participate in the former. They are good friends and respect that I am giving the booze a break, but I still feel on the outside when I have always been on the inside. One of the chaps wasn't there today because he had been rushed to hospital for surgery on his gall bladder. Funny but he is the guy who never drank as much as the rest of us yet he is the one who got sick. Nonetheless it sort of shakes me up, it could easy be me and with something serious and AL related so I have to stick with my plan. Anyway forgive me for sharing. I just needed to get these thoughts out of my head and onto paper (well you know what I mean - virtual paper):thanks:

[Nelz]

Breaking the routine

Share away, we all do, its very helpful in my opinion.

Good luck slaying the beast....."breaking" your old habits is one of the best ways to start

[treetops]

Breaking the routine

Good on you softy - yes it's hard to switch to being AF around friends when there are drinking rituals. These may not be especially extreme ones but we do feel a bit on the outside. Best to be cautious in the early days of sobriety and not spend too long in AL situations. In time it gets easier and your pals will accept that you don't drink anymore. Some of my friends just automatically now get me a diet coke or lime and soda and they are quite protective to make sure I am included in social activities if I want. My best friends much much prefer me AF and also know that the AL was killing my body. They want me healthy and alive !!!!!

[3June2013]

Breaking the routine

softy first of all congratulations on your five weeks AF that's awesome!

I'm about four months AF now and still find some situations a little awkward. Being in bars is one, I usually order cranberry and soda, but one is usually enough, then I switch to water. Thing is, our bodies don't really need to be constantly filling up with liquids. So to sit there pouring in drinks of any kind is sort of strange. When you're drinking AL it's different because it has nothing to do with quenching your thirst. The social scene becomes a little boring watching others get drunk. I tend to make an appearance but check out early.