Morning.
Welcome to the thread dragonesque, you will find lots of fantastic support here, and many of us are in recovery. Sorry you were put off from posting, but please don't let that hold you back. I don't post either when there's a drunken chat going on because it's really pointless to try to talk to someone under the influence.
However, I do check the thread regularly, like many others regular (sober) posters on here so if you ever need any support there will be one of about, and ready to respond to you.
Funkydory - congratulations on your day 3! When was the last time you had 3 sober days in a row? You must feel really proud and rightly so.
2sugars, well done for going back to AA, you will find that dodgy folk are in the minority but they still exist, like every other strata of society. If you try to see people like this as just really, really sick then it makes it easier to be tolerant of them. I've met one or too in my time and it's best just to give them a body swerve. They do tell you in AA right from the word go that if you are a woman, always stick to other women and likewise for men. That protects everyone.
WRT your birthday, you're really going to have to plan in advance, it's to dangerous to leave it to chance or whether your resolve will hold up. Your not long away from drink and IME it's too dangerous. I would talk to your pals that know of your issues and tell ask them to look after you. Do this soon because you might already be starting to talk yourself into a drink (it's my birthday, I deserve it, there will be lots of drink, people don't know etc etc). Relapses begin in our minds way before we ever pick up that drink again so you need to ask yourself honestly are you beginning to give yourself permission to drink?
There are so many sobriety threatening situations we can be put in and we need a cast iron plan of action every time. It took me a long time to get comfortable with telling people I don't drink, you'd be surprised at how many people just accept that statement for what it is. The only people who ever interrogate me about it or try to cajole me into drinking are most likely people with drink problems themselves.
You can do this by the way. It's one of the first things they explain in alcohol rehab/therapy - that planning is paramount. I've been 'caught out' far too many time in the past by doing exactly the same thing.
tengreenbottles has some fantastic suggestions for 'reasons' why you can't drink.
Oh, and have a great birthday by they way - it will be way better if you are sober
Hi to Daisy, PO, and teasle for yesterday and all the other lurkers. Jump in and post!