[retteacher]

I mentioned in the daily thread that my daughter, SIL, & kids came last night for dinner. They brought a bottle of wine some of which they & my husband drank...MUCH less than I would have. I also mentioned that I noticed that after the first slow sips, I could see that warm glow descend on them. They loosened up, joked around, & were less vigilant w/the kids...in short they were really enjoying themselves.

I'm very glad I stayed sober in order to notice this phenomenon. In the past, that warm glow (which really doesn't last very long) would have been my motivation to drink MUCH MORE. "If I can feel this great after a few sips, then I'm going to feel even greater if I have drink # 2, 3, 4, etc." Of course, it doesn't work that way, but the addictive brain THINKS it does.

I had the kids bring the bottle home. There was still quite a bit left in a bottle that 3 people had shared. (I noticed as I was doing the dishes that my husband left most of his second glass...that's how moderate he is.) Normal drinkers seem to know that chasing after the warm glow is futile.

I'm happy to say that I was perfectly satisfied to stay sober. I didn't have the warm wine glow, but I did have a wonderful evening. What more can I ask?

Mary