Hi all
this is my first post as a long term abstainer and thought I'd write about some experiences I had at the weekend.
Anyone who's read my threads in general discussion will know that in my sobriety I've started up my social life again. I've always enjoyed music and a lot of the sort of things I like to go to are really quite focussed on that rather than the drinking. This weekend I was visiting my new 'man' friend(boyfriend sounds a bit silly to me now I'm in my 30s!) and we attended an American music festival held outdoors. It was a small affair and we took a picnic to have sat on the grass. Since it was quite a sedate afternoon, family event I'd not figured on so much alcohol being around. I didn't really notice it at first and of course we were just drinking fruit juice. After about an hour I really started to notice quite a few people were actually drinking reasonable quantities of alcohol, and realised the funny smell was coming from some beakers of red wine just behind where I was lying. The folk drinking were getting obviously drunk, and a guy in front of us quite openly used a disguised pipe to smoke some cannabis. It all started to get a bit much for me - it was as if I was completely surrounded, and I felt almost angry about it. Particularly the folk pouring wine right by my head. By this time we'd been there about 3-4 hours having eaten and enjoyed some of the music. My friend co-incidentally at this point said we should be going as we wanted to get some food for our evening meal, and then get ready to go out in the evening. I was really glad to be leaving.
That night we went out in the gay district, walking through a city centre I'd only heard had a bad reputation for binge drinking. I saw men openly urinating in the streets(not side ones - main streets), staggering, vomitting at only 1030pm. We went to a couple of bars to dance(something I really like doing), sipping lemonades and I wasn't at all bothered by the alcohol - in fact it didn't impinge on me at all. After an hour or two we'd danced enough and walked back to the car. On the way I saw numerous casualties of drinking all over the place and the people just looked awful. Never had an experience like it and I don't think I' want to go out in that city centre again.
What I found affected me most though was that it was the afternoon - family orientated, 'cultural' event that affected me most ,when I'd thought it would have been the safer option. The other thing is I'm so very grateful I'm not part of the british drinking culture any more. I just can't imagine being there ever again, and the state some folk were in is definitely something I never want to happen to me at any time in the remainder of my life.
this is my first post as a long term abstainer and thought I'd write about some experiences I had at the weekend.
Anyone who's read my threads in general discussion will know that in my sobriety I've started up my social life again. I've always enjoyed music and a lot of the sort of things I like to go to are really quite focussed on that rather than the drinking. This weekend I was visiting my new 'man' friend(boyfriend sounds a bit silly to me now I'm in my 30s!) and we attended an American music festival held outdoors. It was a small affair and we took a picnic to have sat on the grass. Since it was quite a sedate afternoon, family event I'd not figured on so much alcohol being around. I didn't really notice it at first and of course we were just drinking fruit juice. After about an hour I really started to notice quite a few people were actually drinking reasonable quantities of alcohol, and realised the funny smell was coming from some beakers of red wine just behind where I was lying. The folk drinking were getting obviously drunk, and a guy in front of us quite openly used a disguised pipe to smoke some cannabis. It all started to get a bit much for me - it was as if I was completely surrounded, and I felt almost angry about it. Particularly the folk pouring wine right by my head. By this time we'd been there about 3-4 hours having eaten and enjoyed some of the music. My friend co-incidentally at this point said we should be going as we wanted to get some food for our evening meal, and then get ready to go out in the evening. I was really glad to be leaving.
That night we went out in the gay district, walking through a city centre I'd only heard had a bad reputation for binge drinking. I saw men openly urinating in the streets(not side ones - main streets), staggering, vomitting at only 1030pm. We went to a couple of bars to dance(something I really like doing), sipping lemonades and I wasn't at all bothered by the alcohol - in fact it didn't impinge on me at all. After an hour or two we'd danced enough and walked back to the car. On the way I saw numerous casualties of drinking all over the place and the people just looked awful. Never had an experience like it and I don't think I' want to go out in that city centre again.
What I found affected me most though was that it was the afternoon - family orientated, 'cultural' event that affected me most ,when I'd thought it would have been the safer option. The other thing is I'm so very grateful I'm not part of the british drinking culture any more. I just can't imagine being there ever again, and the state some folk were in is definitely something I never want to happen to me at any time in the remainder of my life.
:h
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