Friday my husband and I went to a restaurant with friends. I panicked when I realized there was beer, and struggled, and fought with that demon for what felt like hours. I was oblivious to all conversation, while I fought with myself. I eventually lost the battle to a beer.
Tonight my husband and I went to a restaurant with a friend. I didn’t even think about drinking. I was engaged with our friend in our conversation, totally focused. Never once did it occur to me to order something alcoholic.
What was the difference? It is simple: Planning.
Friday, knowing full well we were going out to dinner with people, it did not even occur to me all day that there would be alcohol and I would have to not drink it. Never entered my mind. I did not go to that restaurant ready to fight. I did not go into it with even a faint plan. I was stupidly shocked into panic mode when I saw the bar and the beer menu. I was not mentally prepared to do battle with my addiction. And I had not thought of what I would drink instead.
Tonight, we looked the restaurant’s drink menu up online before we even agreed to go there. We found out they had smoothies, and shakes. I got myself excited about a smoothie, worked myself into looking forward to it. We agreed out loud that we wouldn’t drink. We looked at the beer menu and found out that they do not have any of our favorites. We told our friend when we picked her up all about the drinks we were going to order. We told her that we wouldn’t mind if she drank, but we wouldn’t be. When we got there, I even had the alcohol menu in front of me, and hardly looked at it. Tonight there wasn’t even a struggle. And it all just came down to planning.
Great job my friend!