Traveling for a few days with work. What I used to love to do is get a hotel with a hot tub and tv in the bathroom and drink the night away. Sometimes I'd hit the hotel bar if I was feeling adventurous, but mostly I just liked to drink in my room... alone.
My boss recommended a nice suite to stay at. It's pricey, but on the corporate dime so what do I care. I have to admit that I felt a little anxious because I haven't traveled since all of this happened. When I checked in, the host gave me a card and told me to join the manager's reception form 5:30 to 7:30 for complimentary wine, well drinks, and draft beer. Draft beer - my favorite. I could drink A LOT in two hours!!
I settled for an uneventful night in the room instead. falling asleep by 9.
Nicely done! It's hard in early sobriety to stay sober while travelling. All the gatekeepers are gone and we're left alone. I've learned since being sober, I only have to be honest with myself. My diesase will tell me lies to get me to drink.
I to use to drink when I traveled for work. No one would know right? The only person who suffered was me. I drank most of the time alone in my room.
Now when I travel I look up meetings in the area I will be travelling. I like going to meetings in different areas. I also look for events or activities to do at night- baseball games, local scenery etc......
Yeah...same sort of thing happened to me recently. Got bad service at a restaurant with friends. The manager started handing out free drinks at the bar to make up for it. I was like..."Man...back in the day..." Sitting at a bar with an all expenses paid drinking tab... I had 4 cokes while my friends drank. Shrug. It was a slippery place to be in but I have tools for those situations.
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Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
I still travel for work. I developed strategies really early on. No I won't meet you in the bar, I'll meet you at the dinner table. I still take a large black plastic bag. I empty the minibar into it, tie a knot in it and return it to reception. I have had complimentary drinks receptions offered - I just don't go. I pick the meeting in the town I'm going to, find a hotel near it, go the meeting then so the socialising / dinner bit.
Got bad service in a restaurant one time, the maitre d' said how about I knock the drinks tab off, I said fine. He looked and saw I'd had a jug of tap water with ice and a slice. Poor bloke didn't know what to do. I got a free pudding instead.
Fact is I really like the No thanks mate, i don't drink. I can have such fun with it. My body's a temple, I keep the boots on the outside. I'm in training. it's not something I do anymore. stuff like that. I find when i go to an Indian restaurant and order tap water or occaisionaly a Mango Lassi I get much better service and food than the drinkers in my party.
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It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got. BB
You did good, Jasper! I like the idea of hitting meetings in new areas, but I teach so rarely get to travel. Some of my friends in AA like to take road trips and hit meetings along the way, that sounds pretty cool! Another group throws a dart at a map of our state and hits whatever meeting is in that area once a month (within a 100 mile radius of Seattle.)
I had a situation last month where I had to volunteer at our school auction. It was a fancy evening event, with catered dinner and a full bar. All the volunteers got free drink tickets...and parents kept trying to buy all the teachers drinks to "show their appreciation." Drinking was encouraged by all to loosen up the bidding at the auction, and as a result, it was a total drunkfest! To top it off, my volunteer position was the wine cellar attendant. UGH! It was tough smelling all the wine and being around all the drunk people, but I drank cherry coke, made plans to leave early, and went to a sober dance after at our local alano club. I got through it and didn't even feel the urge to drink, only to get the hell outta there! At the sober dance I immediately felt relief, I was among "my peeps" and had a wonderful time.
I never want to go back to the way I used to be...the life I used to be slowly destroying. I have learned new ways to have fun, and have made true friends, the caliber of friendship I never imagined I could have. All it would take is one drink, one slip, and I could lose it all. Each day I need to pray for my sobriety first. Living my life now is a privelege, one that I must work for through service work, daily prayer, meditation, working the steps, reading the Big Book, and attending meetings.
I'm proud to be on this journey with the friends I have made in AA and on this forum! Keep on keepin on, Jasper. heather
You did well Jasper, but do have to say that what I found so funny in this Tread, was the Big Black Garbage Bag, from BB, still laughing, BB, I hope you meant the smaller version of those Black Bags......
Feel the same, personally I think a No Thank you will alway suffice....
No it really is a heavy duty black dustbin liner. I put what I see as trash in it. I won't dignify the contents with anything else.
Mind you, I do also explain when checking in that if there is a minibar I will be emptying it and bringing the contents down to reception and I don't expect to pay for it either.
Just once, I have been charged for the entire contents of the minibar. The Hotel manager intervened, turned back his lapel with a wink to show a circled triangle and sorted it out, God bless him.
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It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got. BB
Almost every time Im away from home, I have previously found an AA mtg. to attend. Whether I go or not doesn't matter.... I at least have the plan available.
Hi everyone, I'm a newbe here and haven't seen many threads active. I was hide in the bedroom with rum in my tea. I'm getting the nerve to go to my first AA meeting tonight. I guess it's the first step that's the hardest. My face is a mess, 8 of us were laid off last month, and I'm depressed and crying, this has to stop. As I have read in this thread, tools, I need the tools to not get into it again. God directed me to a library book sell off 3-4 years ago, and I just pulled the 'Big Book' out and light bulbs went off. I understand now, the illness part. Well, I'm heading out to the first meeting, I look forward to change and feeling better. Thanks just for listening.
To:BB, sorry, seem to have an over active imagination, glad it was for clean up. And glad today is a new day for you....hope the sun is our. Darn, seems like I do nothing these days but make 10th step stuff. sorry for the error in my brain...
Sitting on thumbs, this was the week where I was going to be going everyday for the medical stuff, but it will be next week.
