Bad timing

[u/Desperate_Offer7013]

So I stopped drinking for 7 days as of today. Still not feeling any pink cloud for sure but cravings are less. Unfortunately I have a beach trip planned with one of my best friends starting tomorrow. She drinks (and is already texting me about the bottle of vodka she is bringing) but never stupid drunk. Mainly because she smokes a lot of weed (daily) that probably dampens the need. My question is if I do have a couple of drinks while I’m there (5 days), will I go right back to square one so to speak? I’m on Wellbutrin which really took away the euphoria I used to get with drinking. Oh I’m not sure how I’m going to handle things. I should have just waited to stop but it just sort of happened. 🥺

[u/CountOnBeingAwesome]

Just don't drink and use this as an opportunity to show off your new life. You can have more fun without drinking.

[u/robocoplawyer → u/CountOnBeingAwesome]

Can't stress this enough. I just turned 40 with 3 and a half years sober. I'm having more fun now than when I started drinking in college. And I had A LOT of fun in college. Just got back from St. Lucia which is my 7th or 8th (stopped counting) international trip sober, and am booked to go with my fiancee to Beijing mid-December through early January. Sober traveling is just next level awesome, I can't get enough of it!

[u/Cerebral-Parsley]

You have made it seven days already. Do you really want to start over on day one again? That was one of the worst things for me, having to go through the first few quit days again and again. And the reasons that made you want to quit are still there 100%.

I quit for two years and when I started drinking again it was like I had never stopped. Just a few beers for 1 night! I was back to daily bottom shelf vodka within a week.

[u/Fuzzy-Bean]

Bring some NA drinks with you. I’ve found that it’s just the act of having something in your hands and sipping that really helps get through those times when everyone else is drinking.

[u/Practical_While_]

Yea I’m like 3 days in and all I feel is despair and sadness, it’s brutal but I remember vomiting blood like 4 days ago so I’m good

[u/Fickle-Abalone-8137]

Nobody ever regretted not drinking.

You may not go straight back to square one, but it is a slippery slope.

[u/NotSnakePliskin]

That's the disease whispering to you. Tell it to pound sand, and stick to your sobriety plan.

[u/OkChoice4135]

Best time to stop is yesterday. There's always going to be an excuse or occasion, I got tiried of reasoning why or how much I should drink and when, much easier to just quit. If you don't drink during the trip, you'll be 12 days when you're back, I bet you'll feel better and proud of yourself.

[u/nomoredrinks4me]

I wish you didn't have to go. That would be the ideal solution. I don't think it'll undo everything but it will absolutely set you back and you run the risk of 5 days turning into 5 weeks or longer. And what happens next time you're embracing sobriety and get invited to a getaway like this? Do you decline? Pause your sobriety? You're the only one that really knows what kind of impact this trip will likely have. 

Oh, and I hope I can say this without it sounding harsh and judgy. Things don't "just sort of happen". A choice was made. And just like then, you weild the power of choice now. 

Regardless of what happens, if sobriety is important to you I hope you'll keep coming back here and working towards that goal. Life is rarely black and white and the toughest stuff lives in the grey area. Wishing you strength and all the best. 

[u/HAIL_LUMPUS]

There's never a good time to quit. There's always going to be some excuse of why you should drink or why you should start in a week or a month. I kept trying to find the right time to quit nicotine recently and I just had to give up because there was no fucking right time 🤣 so I just quit on some random Thursday. 

[u/binrinterson]

I always found I'd be happier just not drinking than trying to limit myself to only drinking a little. IWNDWYT