Purposely putting yourself in situations where you are tempted to drink (bars, keggers, hanging out in crack houses), especially in early sobriety, will end in disaster. It’s kind of like train dodging. You might be successful 99 times out of 100, but it’s that one time that’s going to kill you.
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Hang out at the barber shop enough times and eventually you will end up getting a haircut
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I think life will test your sobriety plenty without you adding to it. I agree with you there.
If someone really knows themselves and their addiction then I think they can make a choice for themselves if they are ready to expose themselves to that environment for non alcohol related purposes, and if it’s worth it. (I would venture to guess that most people who think they know themselves and their addiction that well are probably mistaken to some extent).
Basically I think: don’t borrow extra trouble. If you need to go somewhere tempting, make sure you really need to and that you have a plan to stay sober and an emergency out.
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That’s precisely why I’m sitting on the couch tonight watching tv & reading this app instead of going out. No chance of a relapse in my living room! 
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Exactly. I don’t know how many posts Ive read from the same people confused about why they got blackout and woke up on their front lawn naked when they chose to go to the bar or to a party the night before. There’s probably some people who think their will is stronger than it is, and some that subconsciously set themselves up for failure. It’s like walking into a hornets nest, and then being surprised you got stung.
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People get stuck, sobriety is a whole different life and it’s like learning how to walk again. You get bored because you don’t know what to do to “have fun”, everything you did before was based around booze or drugs, all the people you associated with where part of that life for the most part.
Personally, I don’t even like hanging around drinking/drinkers because we’re on different planes of existence. I have zero reasons to go to a bar, bars are for drinking.
Enjoy the baby steps folks, nothing wrong with cuddling up on the couch and watching a movie, reading a book, listening to a podcast. Enjoy learning how to get to sleep again and at a reasonable hour at that.
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Meetings make it easier get a good foundation and network , like putting kids in a candy store un supervised keep on trucking
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Agree but it does depend.
I don’t deliberately test my sobriety, but I don’t shy away from challenging social events either.
I’m 31 days sober and have enjoyed myself at a birthday party, pub lunches and after work drinks (mines obviously soft 
)
I have really lovely friends though who don’t push me to drink in these situations. They act totally normal when I order cokes. So there’s no added pressure on top of the situation.
If I felt anxious or sad, I would reschedule. Otherwise, I want to have fun and turn these events into a new sober normal.
For me, and everyones different, actually being home alone is more triggering. I would rarely get smashed out, and save all my serious drinking for nights alone on the couch with nobody to get in my way.
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I am going into 6 months of being clean and sober. I am married to an alcoholic, there is always at least a half gallon of vodka in my fridge every day. It’s about me being willing to say no I dont need it. I want it don’t get me wrong. But I have to remember how far I’ve come, and how far I can drop with just 1 drink. I am thankful everyday for another day awake and sober.
Thank you for all being here and keeping everyone motivated in staying sober and knowing we aren’t alone.
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Lol!! Love it. So true. Well I’m here might as well get a haircut
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It’s hard. My whole family will be drinking tonight. But they are normies and I’m not. Ugh I don’t know. I’m heading to San Tan Valley tonight and I’ll be our driver. I know with almost certainty that I won’t drink because I’ll have my kids . But I’m still bringing my tool box
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I pray that you get to the point where you don’t want it, rather than you don’t need it. This has made all the difference for me. When I reached that point, I was free. The struggle was over. It was like a switch got flipped in my brain. Sobriety became easy, because it was just part of who I am, like my fingerprints, or eye color.
Maybe start telling yourself you don’t want it, rather than you don’t need it? One is attacking the challenge. The other is defending against the challenger. The best defense, is a good offense, at least for me. Of course, your mileage may vary.
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The timid never start, and the weak fall along the way.
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Like I said, it only takes that one time. Our disease doesn’t respect our feelings. An alcoholic is just as likely to drink when happy as we are when sad. The fact that you feel the need to justify your decision is your disease speaking to you in your own voice. It’s telling you it’s okay to be at a bar all the time bc it knows that it only takes one momentary lapse to reclaim it’s place as the ruler of your life.
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I’m not at the bar all the time? I am not going to avoid places with alcohol in though ALL the time either, otherwise all I’d ever do is isolate. Christmas would be out 
Isolation also triggers relapse 🤷
Each to their own. What works for one won’t work for another.
I’m not saying people should even go to bars, I am just saying some find it easier and perfectly fine after a while.
I am not justifying anything either I actually don’t think my disease is talking at all. I know my disease, I am just as likely (more so) to drink at home than out 🤷 for me, the location doesn’t effect ease of access (I live next door to a corner shop) and IN FACT going to restaurants, for pub lunches and attending gatherings where alcohol just happens to be, is more enjoyable and easier than sitting at home THINKING about nipping to the shops drinking.
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I agree with you. Its a fine line when it comes to social settings. There are establishments i will absolutely not go into, and others that dont bother me. One thing I have found, through AA, are the reasons I drink. Like you mentioned, depending on how you feel, you rescheduel. I do the same. There are times I will go out and get dinner, because being at home is leading to a dangerous path. Long story short…its about knowing yourself and always putting yourself in a postion to stay sober.
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Absolutely!
That is huge! Once I admitted I was an alcoholic i could heal. AA has helped with that, and recognizing why I drank. Knowledge is power.
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Based on the condition of my spiritual fitness there’s very little in can’t do. But if I find myself doing things I shouldn’t be doing on a consistent basis then my spiritual fitness is already slacking.
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And you can go to a AA meeting and mix with friends go for coffee and maybe catch a movie , this is a cunning disease only takes my head to make a wrong choice ,seen it happen over my years being sober , im along time sober and i dont know my disease ,keep on trucking
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