One of the hardest parts about trying to quit drinking is the fact that the drink is constantly chasing you around. Basically every social event is anchored by drinking, advertising in every second bus stop, friends, family and colleagues all plan their social gatherings around drinking. I’m just feeling really pissed off that it’s so hard to escape it in every day life.
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Not sure if annoyed would be the word I would use. But maybe frustrated is better.
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I can certainly see where you are coming from. It IS very deeply engrained in our society and culture, and it can possibly make our journey more difficult…if we let it.
Acceptance is paramount when it comes to this. Society won’t be changing it’s attitude towards drinking any time soon, especially just because there are people like us who don’t imbibe. We cannot change that there are adverts for alcohol everywhere, or that its a focal point of so many social events.
What we can do is accept this as it is, and find strength and reassurance in our own decision to not take part in drinking. This, we can control.
Serenity prayer and all that.
Take care!
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You guys are right. The rational part of me knows this. I guess when you start out and finally come out of the cloud of alcoholism you start tohave empathy for your former self in a way, because it is everywhere and there is no escaping it. Sometimes you just have to vent, accept it and take it a day and situation at a time. Much love to everyone on this path.
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I’ve found that as I’ve got more comfortable in sobriety these adverts for alcohol become less visible, yes they are there and always will be but I don’t really ‘see’ them anymore just like I don’t ‘see’ the adverts for say football or gambling because these things have no place in my life just like alcohol, it does become possible in time to just walk on past something that has no relevance to you 
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I can’t really say anything about alcohol, since I am not an alcohol addict, but I know exactly what you mean. I am a gaming addict. Gaming is everywhere, especially when you’re my age. It annoyed me a lot at first, but I’ve realized that I just have to accept it. And with time it will bother you less and you will notice it less.
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Early sobriety for me i was told stay away from pubs and clubs , it wont change big money to be made in advertising and promotion in the drinks world just have to learn to live with it wish you well
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Its everywhere I agree and accepted
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The sooner you realize you can not change the fact that alcohol will always be everywhere, the easier it will be for you to let it go. After almost a year and a half of sobriety, I am okay with going to bars and restaurants-it makes me feel normal and like I’m not missing out on anything because you really aren’t. (Except for a hangover!) give it time and don’t dwell over it…you can only control you. It will get easier
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One of the few times I’m grateful to be a Swede. We’ll we’re pretty good drinkers over here, Viking drunk is definitely a thing. Social events drinking, holiday drinking, oh yes. But advertisers are very limited and the only place where you can buy alcohol is owned by the Gouvernment with limited opening hours. And sales or special prices on alcohol doesn’t exist here because it’s not legal.
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I find it annoying.
Even though my sobriety is getting stronger, and my days are adding up.
Its less attractive to me than it has been, but my inner alcoholic still finds it attractive. It still tries to work any angle it can.
I had lunch in a bar the other day and at first it didnt bother me. As I waited for my food there wasnt anything else to look at so I looked at the bottles of booze and collection of beers and some of them sounded really good.
I enjoy a good beer. They started singing! My inner alcoholic was telling me dont get drunk. Just enjoy a beer. You deserve it.
I’ve done that a million times. I know how that goes. I drank my iced tea, ate my burger, didn’t order the beer and stayed sober another day.
Why are seedy bar burgers so good? It was the best burger I’ve had in a year? I find that annoying too!
I was on a little road trip adventure in Colorado and my friend stopped there for food.
There was a staggering drunk guy out front causing drama, his pants falling down. My first thought was thats why you dont drink anymore. Thats you!
15 minutes later, i was drooling over beer.
Most people I interact with know I quit drinking. People frquently tell me they quit drinking too. My friend on this trip did that. Then she orders a beer. It just feeds my inner alcoholic new material to work with. I find that annoying.
Dont tell me you dont drink and set me up in scenarios where Im unintentionally fighting temptation.
My final relapse started out similar.
I pay attention. Most people who drink arent really having fun.
My friend has been through rehab numerous times. Shes been doing really good and orders a beer. Its probably not going to end well. Ill be paying attention. That could be me.
Its everywhere. Its annoying! But we can stay sober!
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After I quit drinking I realized my small tourist town focuses ALL of the towns events on drinking. I never noticed before because I was always drinking so it never hit me that it was always there. Plus I rarely went to them because I was always drinking 🤦
My first Halloween they blocked off the town square like they always do and had all these kids activities right under the beer tent.
Everyone paid the same price to get in. The adults got a beer cup for all the beer they wanted from the local breweries and the kids got to do all the cool crafts. All right there under the same tent. Then these parents had to drive home because this event was from 10 am until 6 pm.
It’s something that now bothers me and have voiced my opinions about it very openly because everything in town revolves around alcohol. I am now banned from posting on the newspaper Facebook pages, the city Facebook page and a few others as well as getting kicked from a few groups 🤷 
Sometimes we just have to voice our opinions when we know what’s right and wrong even if others don’t want to listen
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After a while I pretty much stopped noticing, or caring. Keep working your program and eventually it will be the same for you.
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Our society really isn’t set up in such a way that promotes a healthy lifestyle. You got booze ingrained in so many aspects of life, in adverts, and in your face at the grocer (unless you live in one of the few US states where alcohol is tightly regulated by the state). There is junk food and candy everywhere. You drive down the street and there are fast food joints practically on every street. It’s easy to do things without even getting out of your car. In general, we live in a society that makes it pretty difficult to be healthy.
I’m not annoyed by it, but I am sad about it. Alcohol is celebrated in movies and at gatherings, and unfortunately there is judgement and contempt by some drinkers when they come across someone who chooses, for whatever reason, not to imbibe. It make me think about our society. What does that say about our society? I think the answer to that question is pretty complex and perhaps the way alcohol is ingrained in society is rooted in something deeper.
Just thoughts. That’s all.
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Yes.
When I finally managed to stop drinking for longer than 7days. After three years fighting and struggling to quit alcohol I managed to stop drinking for 2 months in May 2019. But I wasn’t in the right state of mind yet. I wanted to drink so hard and I had to use a lot of willpower not to. That time I hated how everybody can drink, how alcohol is everywhere. I was annoyed, I was angry, I was jealous! I saw alcohol like something very negative what should be banned. I saw alcohol as drug and I had a big inner problem with it. Then I have relapsed, because I just wanted to drink and felt like unfair if everybody can meantime I can’t! 
I stopped drinking again in August 26th 2019 and I’m not drinking since then. I’m no longer having any emotions or such personal feelings regarding to alcohol. I see alcohol as something what exists in this world. I feel no hate or angriness anymore. It’s up to everybody what alcohol means for them and if they want to drink it or not. We need to make our decissions and take consequences. I decided not to drink alcohol because it didn’t serve me. I believe that it would be good for people if they can enjoy themselves and celebrate their life events in different way than get drunk, but it is their choice.
I am grateful that I personally have got to see further and that I know the real face of addiction. I feel blessed because I can see something what many people doesn’t. I feel unique and I don’t care about alcohol in society anymore 
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Thanks Jason. I needed this today.
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At least you guys can choose. I’m not saying alcoholism is a choice I was referring to the “Healthy food issue”
I love American, I love American food, and candies and I admire and absolutely loves your endless possibilities.
Here a lot of things are regulated by the Gouvernment, it might not seem like it but it is. Where you guys have a hundred different kinds of cereals to choose from we’ve got ten, the others ones are forbidden due to high sugar content or artificial coloring. The same with candy, Velveeta doesn’t even exist here neither does Jell-O because it’s not considered safe or healthy enough to consume. You might find it in special stores if you are lucky or online. But mostly you won’t. If I want to buy for example Apple jacks for $2 from Walmart that package will have costed me at least $50 before it reaches Sweden,in shipping and import fees and taxes. We don’t have yellow cheddar, we don’t even have hakf of your fizzy drink options. Medicine is sold in drugstores only with limited opening hours, same with alcohol. Fast food places only exists in the bigger cities but you can get a thin crust pizza a hot dog or a kebab in every small town.
Candy and sweets are limited to weekends only. Culturally we have cozy fridays where it’s Okey to eat snacks like chips or cheese doodles (yep we have like 10 kinds of that too) and candies and sweets are limited to Saturdays. And yet, we eat tge most candy in Europe, and are really bad drinkers. A few years ago our postal service and Gouvernment got crazy because they thought people ordered to much from Wish (Chinese import) because a lot of things can’t be bought in the country. They tried to apply more fees but eventually had to give up because people just stopped picking up their ordered packages and the Chinese companies got mad. But that’s another story.
I know that every country is different, and that Swedens luxury communities are pretty good. But I just wanted to make a point out of the fact that even if it’s hard to choose the right thing, you still got the option to choose. And that itself is amazing.
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I appreciate you sharing this, @MrsOdh. I think what you are sharing is “the grass is always greener on the other side” and vice-versa. I don’t know where the middle ground lies. But I’m so happy for you and your month AF. Really appreciate your posts.
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Thank you, I’m not sure there is a middle ground. And I know that comparing countries like that with different systems to run the countries and a huge difference in size locations and all that doesn’t really make a fair comparison. But you’re right about that the grass always seems better on the other side. But the only way to find out if it really is better is to check yourself.
I’m lucky enough to be able to stand with one foot on each side and only pick the goodies from both. 
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