Don’t Not Drink in Front of Me

Yes, I used the double negative which is a big no-no in grammar, but whatever. I do have a point. But seriously, please do not feel the need to not drink when I am around. This seems like a silly thing to even think about but here goes.

Early in sobriety, many people would hide their alcoholic beverages when the hubs and I would come around. As in, quit partaking and stash it away somewhere discretely. I always found this a little odd. Even a little embarrassing or insulting to be honest. Why might you ask? Because it made me feel like a gremlin (hope you have seen that movie at some point in your lifetime) …like I was going to turn into a maniac and run over and snatch the drink up and guzzle it down like a Gremlin with a bucket of KFC after midnight.

I just found it kind of silly and sometimes even a little hurtful. Like I couldn’t be trusted. Or like the sight of a beer might somehow turn me into a booze-thirsty animal much like we see flesh-starved zombies in movies. But as time has gone on, I came to the realization that I WAS that blood thirsty vampire at one point (for a very long time, I might add). Oh, there’s booze in the kitchen–immediate dash to the stash and away I went. Mixing and gulping and mixing more and gulping more…before I would even sit down and have a conversation with someone.

I don’t typically go to wild parties or frequent bars or frat houses, but when I think about any typical social gathering (birthdays, holidays, picnics, dinners, whatnot) there is often times booze around. And as always, that’s ok for normal drinkers. And as always, I am not normal (in my drinking…in other areas of life, well…that’s still up for debate).

So, I do want to say I appreciate the effort put into this by many people–I take it as a genuine way to say that you respect the fact that we are now sober and possibly don’t want to be exposed to alcohol. I truly do. In saying that, I would like to add that Eli and I have a pretty good understanding of where and when and around whom we need to be (or don’t need to be). Not meaning you people make me want to drink (not necessarily;) but meaning we know where our strengths and weaknesses reside at this point in our sobriety. Those are subject to change of course. I probably don’t need to go to a bar following a funeral of a loved one or anything like that, but we deal with those situations as they arise.

In summary, please don’t not drink around me (us). We always have an exit route plan if it gets a little questionable. That’s not about you, it’s us. And that’s totally ok. We don’t want anyone arranging or rearranging plans and events and stuff around the fact that us non-drinkers might be in attendance. I appreciate the thoughts and consideration, though. I really, really do. It shows support. It shows love. It shows respect. And that says enough right there (the thought process alone) of trying to be an encouragement on our journey and not an obstacle. But please know we are adults and most definitely have our big girl panties on (well, me at least–not Eli:) and can say no or simply avoid situations we know are not good for our very-cherished sobriety.

We are so very grateful to everyone who has been with us on this journey. It keeps getting a little smoother every day.