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[1967]

yesterday was a test for me.
i had a meeting w/my boss and she pulls out the champagne (at 12:45 PM~ good thing it wasn't later in the afternoon!)
i had a couple of sips to be polite... next time this happens i hope to have the strength to say 'no thanks!'

anyhow... i drank 1/2 a glass max... perhaps a bit less. i noticed at lunch i was thinking about wine... first time in a few days. i know that i cannot moderate. i didn't have anymore than a couple of sips but it was enough for me to know that ... it's just not for me.

i still consider myself AF and on day 27~ that seems okay, right? i think so.. i am just looking for someone's opinion!

[retteacher]

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Yes, as far as I'm concerned you are still on day 27. A few sips is not a slip...especially since you didn't have the wine at lunch. However, it did get you thinking (as it would me). That's the problem w/a few sips or a glass. It tends to launch me back into the fray w/AL. Good for you.

On New Year's Eve, I passed up the wine at dinner, but the hosts really seemed to want me to have a sip of champ at midnight. I did have a couple of sips but left most of it on the table. I didn't consider it a slip, but I did enjoy the taste & slight tingle. That's a big no-no for me.

Mary

[tlrgs]

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no problem just keep on going personal testS are good as long as you know and realize what you want ..and as time goes on you will find it easyer to just say no thank you.. am allergic.. it makes me do wild things..LOL

[retteacher]

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-I get hot flashes, headaches, stomach aches, etc.

[july232007]

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1967,

That is a tough position to be in. What else could you do? Work environments sometimes find us being more submissive than we would like. Later, you might be able to let the boss know that you are not drinking. Sounds like you handled the situation quite well.

July

[CS04]

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Hi 1967,
I probably would have done the same thing, but you recognized and fought off the urge later, so that is great. July is right -- maybe another time you can "just say no" (ha ha) but it's hard with work, and I know you're in a culture where that may not be as easy to do.

Sounds like you have been really successful since we 1st talked. I am proud of you! Hope things are going well at your dad's.

[1967]

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okay... thanks for everyone's input.

work situations like this do kinda suck.

who ever heard of drinking champagne before a business meeting?

is this normal? i'm thinking it just part of life in the Caribbean where the men drink Guiness for breakfast!

personally i would prefer to be able to drink a few sips of alcohol and have that be that.
i think it is too early in the game though. plus, i sooooooooooo don't want to start this AF crap all over again. yuck!
i read what people are going through and personally i think i've had it pretty easy. the first 10 days were lame but... now i'm just grateful to be able to think straight!!!!!!!!!

i wish all a peaceful week-end!

[CS04]

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Culture shock

I have not lived in the Carribbean, but in many cultures it is quite common to have drinks accompanying business meetings (Japan, Russia). You are very smart for thinking so clearly about the whole thing. And of course it is not a slip. (I lived in China for awhile and one of my American friends who did not drink was "coerced" by a bunch of Chinese students. It happens. It;s a different place and time. But you know what you need. Again, kudos to you -- I might have just used it as an excuse!

[1967]

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hi CS04!
how's it goin?
thanks for your message! oh gosh... it is common to have drinks here for any occasion! it's kinda obnoxious though. you are expected to drink and then when u'r a light weight people make fun that you were 'drunk.' well... duh... of course a woman of 5'1 115 lbs would be far more intoxicated after 3 glasses of wine than a man of just about any size!
anyhow, i'm done and will to be a party pooper.
monday is day 30 for me. i am sitting thinking that i should put myself on a 30 day award schedule to keep the momentum going.
rewards will not include food and/or drink to change the cycle completely.

not sure what to plan? maybe a manicure and pedicure? it should be something great for my first 30 days though... any suggestions?

[1967]

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oh and things are going well at my dads.

i am developing strategies to deal w/situations i don't want to deal with.

[A Work in Progress]

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Good going, '67. That stuff can be incredibly awkward and really intrusive, actually, because it puts you in a position where you really need to explain something about your personal life that is nobody's business (and that might even have a negative impact on how you are perceived by your boss). I have worked in and around such settings... often with a supervisor who was actively alcoholic... and I have usually consumed the alcohol with everyone else...

BUT I have always found that people have been really OK when I tell them I just can't drink, and leave it at that... well, they are "OK" unless they have actually gotten drunk, and at that point my experience is that they tend to lose their judgment and begin to pressure you... but at that point it's best to leave, anyway...

best wishes,

wip

[DogLvr]

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67 - I will be in a similar situation with work people tomorrow night.

If I am pressured - I just tell them that I am training for a race (I do them just to complete them, not place) - whether it's this weekend or the end of the summer. Works like a charm.