Does meeting up always involve pubs, or is that just my excuse??

Robbie32

Not sure if I have posted this in the right section or not.
This message actually started as a reply to another thread, but as I wrote it I decided to make a new thread..
I find that after a night out, I am so depressed and anxious the next day. Its such a weird feeling, and I hate it. I used to drink alot more then I do now, and I never had a felt like this.

I have tried giving the drink up, but its so difficult. Dont get me wrong I am not dependant on it, I actually work away and dont drink for months on end. I never miss it too much. I find it difficult to give up as meeting up with people always seems to involve a pub or club. I have activities, I am active, there just always seems to be a pub involved afterwards.
When I get home I would like to go for the quiet one, but that never works. Go for one or two, next thing I know its closing time, and the next thing I know its the next day, cant remember what happened the night before, and the same old line "never drinking again" (until a few days later until someone mentions meeting up). I hate that feeling, and I feel like I could be doing so much more.
To be honest, I know myself I am making excuses, I can hear the words in my head " I deserved a blow out, everyone needs one now and again", but are they happening abit too often.
I have another great excuse that with work, it makes me not be able to have a drink, but on the other hand is that more reason for having the "blow outs" certainly justifies it in my mind...

My brother recently had his stag do, unfortunately I missed it as I was away, but it tended to revolve around pubs and drinking. Most of the stag dos I have been on or recently heard about all spend most of the time in the pub. One stag do I went to, the plan was to go go-karting in the afternoon of the saturday (we met on the friday), but everyone was still mortal drunk from the friday night. Missed the go-karting and most of the day saturday, just in time to meet up in the bar to watch the rugby and start drinking again.

This is unfortunate, as my stag do is comming up in the new year and I am starting to dread it to be honest. Knowing my group of friends, there will be activities planned, but first one to suggest a pub will win... We will head in there for a quiet on and will just leave to go somewhere else if its not closing time.

I am away at the moment, so I have been off the booze for 3 weeks.
Putting these word down has made me realise that, maybe I should give it up for a while. I know with christmas comming up, is probably not the best time, but in all fairness when is, there is always and excuse. SO NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT, and I can always use the excuse of its a new years resolution, when the new year gets hear.
Even if nobody reads this it was good to put my thoughts down where I could read them, and I feel better for it. Already not drinking for 3 weeks I feel different, have more energy and just feel better.

Thanks for reading, and sorry for it being so long winded.

hubba

Yes is probably the answer. And part of my journey has been realising that in quitting drink I'm going to stand out like a sore thumb. I had struggle to get my head around that as I'm quite an anxious and reserved type and I had to consider which was better, blend in and continue to live the half life I was living or take a stand and dare to be different and in doing so, free myself of the prison that is alcohol abuse.

I don't regret for a second being alcohol free but the small price to pay is that people regard me with more than a little suspicion and I know my teetotaldom makes more than a few very uneasy because of their own issues with alcohol.

Sunnyisland

OP it seems to me by your post that you are not very happy when drinking and even now the thoughts of drinking is not sitting comfortable with you, As Hubba has said it is awkward at the start and can be offsetting for some people but at the end of the day you must do what's right for you and how you feel..nothing changes if nothing changes.

Robbie32

Thanks for the words of wisdom. Just been reading your posts in other threads, you two are an inspiration. Well done and congrats.
You are right, even thinking about it, I dont like the idea.
When I am asked out, I dread having to go. When I go to the pub, I just have a drink, maybe its the easy option, rather then having to be different.
I am beginning to realise, though that there is no harm in being different.

Sunnyisland

We are not so different as we think ,when i was drinking I did think the whole Irish world revolved around drinking, but that's because for me that's the world I choose to be in,when I stopped and got more focus in my life I realised there is a whole new world right here in front of us, since I closed that door firmly shut on my drinking world I haven't looked back since.