Hello everyone…over 6 weeks sober here!! I was thinking ahead to the summer, when hopefully we can visit family again. How will I cope around a family of drinkers? Pool parties? Wine at nice dinners?
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Have an escape plan always. Don’t worry about something that isn’t here yet would be my advice. The first sober summer can be hard but very rewarding!
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Next milestone for me this Summer is a year. By now, I’m doing pretty good with all of it. I took my son to the liquor store before he went to my older two son’s house tonight. It didn’t bother me one bit. One day at a time 
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Try and think about the things you will have to look forward to, rather than what you will miss…
The sunsets you will notice cos you’re not trashed. The sunrises you might catch cos you’re not hungover. Early morning walks with the birds singing. Feeling fresh in the mornings cos no hangovers. Making the most of every day. Lunches, sightseeing, exhibitions, events and all the stuff in your area you never normally get round to doing when you’re drinking. Driving to places you wouldn’t normally visit.
You don’t have to decide about whether you will go to your usual pool parties, dinners etc yet. You might find you are more selective. Being around a group of people killing their brain cells can get kinda boring.
As you find your sober groove, you will find out who your real friends are and those relationships will become rock solid. You will probably also find there are some people that were only tolerable when you were drunk and not paying attention 
You will become more confident and do more of the things you want to do. You will attract more people who are on a similar path. It will get easier to be around booze and to say no to the things you don’t want to do.
That’s what happened for me anyway. It didn’t happen all at once, but by taking things a day at a time. Keep checking in, read lots and reach out whenever you need to!
Exciting times ahead 
