zmrl

I was making a joke using the meme from The Office where corporate asks what the difference between two pictures is. I was using your comment as a setup to insinuate that right wing propaganda is the same as Russian propaganda.

They're the same picture.

Isn't it crazy all the time that opens up when youre not catering to drinking desire? Plus as you said its much easier to grasp things on a technical level with my instrument. There's still plenty of growing in me left to go, but its a work in progress. Glad to hear you found plenty of things to fill your time with. This is essential for staying sober, at least for me.

I feel you there! I'm a bass player and a big motivator for me to quit drinking was that I wanted to spend more time building a skill instead of mindlessly jamming while slugging back drinks. Still love to jam though, just without the drinks haha. Plus a good nights sleep is just unbeatable

What hobbies have you gotten into?

You hit the nail right on the head. By interacting with people who are making changes for themselves, you have to confront the idea that maybe you should too. Then ego and doubt set in and you push that as far away as possible and continue on. I did this for years until I couldn't ignore it anymore. Even would be reading on forums like this one but then go drink anyways, but getting to read others experiences helped to plant the seed.

Nice job at day 5! You got this.

And I would say its positively grim. Still thinking of death but also acknowledging the harm youre not doing is positive still.

Thats huge! I'm in a similar boat as you. Especially with the way the world has been going, makes me really want a fucking drink. But also I have no desire for all the downsides again.

Welcome back! The struggle is real and I think a lot of us can relate. I personally had so many tries at moderation and then day 1s when I tried to quit. The things you mentioned sound like hurdles that make the road more challenging, but not impossible.

And yes friends absolutely will argue with you. I was lucky to find a decent amount of support in friends and family but I've had others who have brushed it off. Then I had to explain to them that I was drinking straight vodka for breakfast and it was a problem. But it doesn't have to get to that point for it to be a problem you can address either.

I can definitely relate to that. Consequently I rarely go to social events anymore. I usually decide if booze is the main feature of the event and decide to go based on that. The NA brew comes in handy to make you look like your part of the party so no one has those questions about why youre not 'having fun' like the rest of them. It can be demoralizing to someone aspiring to a more sober self.

A nice hike is always a great option! Hope it goes well for you if you decide to go. I hear you on the phone thing 😅

I will not drink with you today!

Nice work getting to day 5! Good luck with your event tonight. Social events are tough for me too because I am naturally introverted and a little shy so I leaned heavily on the booze for almost any social interaction I had as an adult. Thankfully with the proliferation of NA brews, I've had decent success with holding onto one of those at a party.

No plans for the weekend yet. Things are just starting to thaw out here where I live. You got anything going on this weekend?

Thats fair. I'm sure they do make some nice cars. I'll admit I have a bias against american cars.