Keeping Busy

So far, most of my success with not drinking has come from 2 major things:

1. The counter (I’m using CleanTime Counter), more specifically looking down each day and realizing that I’ve already stayed sober for more than half the day and I really only have about 6 more hours to make the day count, and so I make it count.

2. Keeping busy. This has included gardening, popping chewy fruit candies into my mouth, playing Bejeweled on my phone, reading, flossing and yesterday I bought a puzzle.

I used to love to do puzzles as a kid/young adult. I don’t know why I got away from them. So, when I went to the Goodwill yesterday for some thrifting, I decided I’d like to get a puzzle. I found one for $1. Despite/because of the fact that it’s a Thomas Kincade print, it really is quite nice to look at - flowers and trees and, of course, the “light.”

So, along with flossing, making lists and reading before bed, count puzzles as something else that being sober has given me. The only thing I can think of, at this point, the not drinking has “taken” from me is hangovers.

I don’t want to appear too confident - mainly because I’m not - but if I’m being objective, aside from some small mental pep talks I gave myself yesterday about chit chatting with strangers and the occasional redirect I have to give myself when I think, “Oh, it’ll be good to have some wine after today,” this hasn’t been so hard yet.

Realistically, it hasn’t been hard because I’ve kind of been living in a bubble. But that’s OK. I’ve tackled some of the things I most worried about already:

1. Not drinking on the first night of warm weather
2. Not drinking on a Friday night
3. Not drinking on a Saturday night
4. Not drinking on a Sunday
5. Not drinking at a crowded social engagement where I knew very few people
6. Not drinking sitting on a bar patio

Go me. Very proud of that list. I suppose still ahead are a few big ‘uns, though:

1. Not drinking at a wedding (thankfully, or sadly, we don’t have any weddings on the docket for the next three months).
2. Husband’s family functions (I willingly admit that I could have been the one to take these family functions as the green light to drink and it’s really not as big a part of things as I might have thought).
3. Brunch with friends - typically a boozy and drawn-out affair.
4. Next Friday night.
5. Next Saturday night.
6. Next Sunday.

That’s my nature to think ahead and worry about things that haven’t yet happened. It’s because I’ve gained a lot of ground but I know have a long way to go.

Interestingly, in 5.5 days’ time, no one’s asked why I’m not drinking. No one. I think I maybe made a bigger deal of out drinking than anyone else.