I’m not sure how to handle this! I’ve been alcohol free for 48 hours but today is Friday… my bigger drinking night!'I look forward to always getting off work and going home and pouring my wine. That’s what I do! I dont know how to do a Friday night without drinking!
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You know it’s just a habit; it’s not necessarily who you are… Like people who go to the gym right after work, or go get their kids; you go get the wine. It’s not a good habit, it’s just what you’ve always done. Now you’re trying not to do it; dig deep and find out how strong you are. Make new habits.
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What’s so special about Friday? The drinking or the feeling of the weekend starting? I think the latter, because it’s your drinking day, because you’re celebrating.
Why not celebrate by exercising? Or a movie night? Or a game night? Or simply by chatting with people on here?
You’re just making excuses to drink, but you don’t have to anymore. You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to. We’re here for you
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For me, getting sober was about re-learning how to live. Changing habits. Your Friday nights can now be anything you want it to be. Without alcohol, the sky is the limit.
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It’s pretty easy, just do something else.
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This first “friday drinking night” will be one of your big hurdles. Once you get through it without drinking you will start to reeducate your brain into your new lifestyle. Same as the first time meeting a friend in a pub, or your first time attending an event like a wedding…
You used to think you needed alcohol. Like you deserved to have a glass of wine.
You don’t. Alcohol is not your friend. It’s been holding you back for so long and once you see it for what it is you will learn to live without it.
Good luck with your first weekend alcohol free. You will feel INCREDIBLE on Monday morning 
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only Fridays hey, most of us only drink or do drugs with days ending in Y. At the minute it’s just another day so no need to make it more complicated than it is. I prefer a feel good Friday not a go fuck it all up Friday, your choice though.
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Play the tape forward think how amazing your gonna feel without a hangover! Think of the money you will save ! X
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That has just made me giggle because your right everyday I had a reason for picking up…
Wanting a drink to relax to on a Friday night is not rewarding yourself its only feeding your addiction … Breaking the habit is the new you and you should celebrate by not drinking
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One of the things that helped me early on was learning to reframe what was a treat, what was something positive I was adding to my life and what was sucking the soul out of me…alcohol was sucking my soul from my life. I ached inside to be sober, to change my life.
I don’t know about you, but alcohol had long since stopped being a ‘treat’ for me. It made me feel horrible about myself, zapped my confidence and self esteem, was ruining my physical and emotional health, I was anxious and depressed and suicidal. No treat there, that’s for sure. I spent many nights praying I would not drink anymore.
I had to understand what alcohol was really doing to my life, not the fantasy of a couple of drinks to relax and treat myself.
Have you read any books on getting sober? I found sobriety memoirs incredibly helpful and inspiring. Two I like to recommend are Quit Like A Woman by Holly Whitaker and This Naked Mind by Annie Grace, both helped me release the fantasy of my drinking and face the reality.
Another thing I found really helpful was thinking about my life and what I wanted from it. I knew 100% what drinking offered me, I drank for long enough that there were zero surprises there …I wasn’t going to magically wake up and feel good about myself or be less anxious or happier if I continued drinking. But sobriety and not drinking…I had no idea WHAT that life looked like for me. So I became curious to see what that life might look like and it has not disappointed me. Since I became sober I no longer wake up feeling like shit physically or mentally, my anxiety has lightened, I don’t have to scour my phone or social media to delete it cringe over messages I sent or posted, I feel healthy and whole, my head isn’t constantly consumed with how am I going to get sober or feel better about myself, and no hangovers is amazing…truly amazing.
All life’s challenges and pain do not magically disappear with sobriety…nope, life is still life…but we DO have more bandwidth and strength and clarity to deal head on with the ups and downs of life and that has been a blessing.
So you KNOW what Friday is like drinking, no surprises there, why not see what Friday can become not drinking. Work on building up your pride in yourself, work on finding new ways to treat yourself, see what life is like without hangovers and feeling like crap.
We all joined this forum for a reason… to change our lives. Be brave and bold and do it!! Have faith in you and new beginnings.
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im someone that used alcohol as a “treat” so I switched to other things. I made fancy mocktails complete with garnish and a couple times a ice cream float! stuff I would never usually have on a regular basis. and it totally worked. or go buy yourself a little something. fresh flowers or whatever. now im fine with regular tonic in the evenings. dont discount the power of an insanely expensive pastry 
Seedlip makes a great substitute mixer btw.
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Mu friday is chips and a bottle of soda, its a hard day, feeeeel your struggles real hard!!
My week rutine is workout at gym, work in my lovely day job and work on my side busniess, then 1 day a week I go crazy at chips and a sode which is friday, the worst day.
I kinda loooking forward to get home, and just eat that chips to death infront of my computer 
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I thought this would be hard, too. Here’s what I did: ordered my favorite take out. Poured a big bubble bath and read during the cocktail hour. Indulged in the take out in my PJs while watching a movie I was looking forward to. Had ice cream and went to bed. Next morning I was up and clear headed. Yay!!! Distraction, Distraction, Distraction.
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I found listening to sober podcasts throughout the day helped also.
@SassyRocks have you listened to the Naked Mind podcast? I personally did not like it or her which made me reluctant to pick up the book though everyone raves about it. im wondering if im missing something.
No, I don’t listen to podcasts much. I did find the book helpful at the very beginning of my journey. You can get it from your local library if you are interested, but it sounds like her message isn’t resonating with you and that’s okay. Everyone gets to follow their own path.
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Thank you soooooooo much!!! I love your outlook! I can do this…you are right! I appreciate you!
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This is your drinking ritual. I strongly recommend you find a new ritual to replace it. Something special that you can look forward to, that doesn’t involve alcohol. Big plus if it’s something physical or mentally stimulating. Mine is martial arts classes, which I attend Mon-Thurs, plus Saturday mornings. Friday nights from 7pm-8pm I join the local HAM radio network where news is passed, new rigs (equipment) is tested. It’s fun.
Doesn’t matter what your thing is…just get a thing.
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Thank you!!! My thing is reading!!! But it goes by the wayside when I drink.
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maybe find a sober book club, or better yet, start one here via zoom.