How to survive weekend away?

[newdawntoday]

Hello
I have very recently given up drinking after years of trying to cut back and one rock bottom morning.
I don't think anyone I know would realise how bad my relationship is with alcohol and I feel like people like me because I'm fun and always up for a drink and a natter.
However, here I am, week two off the booze and really don't want to tell anyone (except DH) until I've got a few weeks under my belt.
Going away to a festival overnight with 2 close girlfriends and how on earth do I hide my not drinking from them?
Any experience with this or good ideas?

I was about to post a thread about my lovely friend who has told me she is an alcoholic and she Has been advised by her doctor to taper her intake down.

We have a large group of friends who binge drink, and when we went our recently they were all plying her with drink, it was hard to watch.

Please tell your friends. This can happen to anyone and they will only be supportive.

I have started planning night out that don’t involve alcohol, but it would be easier if our larger group knew so they could support her.

Good luck - you are being really brave

Get your own drinks- say you're skint and can't do rounds. Then lemonade could be archers and lemonade, coke could be JD and coke etc.

Just tell them you’re on a health kick and not drinking. That’s what I’ve done. I’m week 3 off the booze and have just done a 6 night holiday which DH and our DCs. Normally I’d drink every day but haven’t had a drop this time! I have a wedding coming up and won’t be drinking there either using the same excuse!

Congrats for the two weeks, well done, that’s great.

If you can tell your friends. That way they can support you.

If you really can’t, you could tell them that you are on a type of antibiotics that you can’t drink with.
I’ve been on those once, can’t remember what I was taking them for or their name but you could google and make something up if you really want to lie to friends?

PS You really, really can’t drink on them apparently. It’s not like regular antibiotics that you shouldn’t drink but you do and nothing happens. These ones make you vomit if you drink alcohol.

Or tell them you just had food poisoning and the thought of alcohol so soon after is something you can’t face.

Or that there’s a random drug testing policy being introduced at work the first day you’re back and you don’t want to risk alcohol either in case they say something. Your friends will say you’re being silly but you’ll stay resolute.

Or something to do with driving a car the following day and not wanting to risk it.

Running out of ideas now!!!

Metronidazole is the name of the antibiotic. It is actually in the same family of drugs as Antabuse. To be honest you might be better skipping the festival this year.

Do what a pp poster suggested. Buy own drinks and pretend there is alcohol in them or, would you try alcohol free versions of lager etc?

You have to tell them or don't go. It's too risky otherwise as there will be so much temptation and you are very very vulnerable this early on.

Pretend to be having a pregnancy scare?

Or pretend to drink and drink mixers.

Or, better, tell them or don’t go.

Better to tell them you're abstaining because you feel you should- if you really can't say so put a health scare in- borderline t2 diabetes, gallbladder issues, markers for fatty liver etc so have been advised not to consume alcohol until further tests- nothing life threatening and can be breezy at this point. Or a dental problem with anti biotics you cannot drink on.
It'd be better to be honest though, say you've been overindulging and are abstaining for a month. Or say you're on a general health kick, jogging, swimming, training for a marathon etc.

It will be enormously helpful to your recovery if you can just be honest with these 2 friends. Please rethink your reasons for keeping such a big secret?

How understanding do you feel your friends might be? If you feel it’s all too soon and too vulnerable, there’s no pressure to tell them more than feels comfortable - and if a diplomatic ‘virus’ or similar is what it takes, fine. You can always revise later and say a few weeks off alcohol has made you feel like extending it.

I told people that I was having a break from alcohol to see if it helped improve my sleep and my anxiety (all true but not the whole story), and that I needed to give it a clear 30 days at least. People seem to understand that as they can relate to that kind of suffering. I also told people I was doing it out of vanity as I was finding it ageing (also true but again not the whole story). I would have struggled to tell even very close friends or family the full story. I still haven’t been entirely open some 9 months in, and I think that’s fine. Also, I realised that I can be fun without it. You will too and it’s very liberating. But I would cancel rather than risk my new sobriety, if you think these tactics won’t work and you aren’t ready to tell them.

Just wanted to say thank you for all your advice. Made me feel much stronger going.
In the end I just said I wasn't feeling fab and wanted to enjoy it all without a hangover.
Nobody really cared. Not as big a deal as I'd thought!
I know the perceived wisdom is to tell everyone straight away but I need to do this my way and take my own time.