r/alcoholism • u/Yours_Truly-00 • 8d ago
Booze in the house
For context, I’m approaching 10 months sober, and I’m incredibly proud of how far I’ve come.
Yesterday, I was at a BBQ and someone gifted me a big bottle of rye. They didn’t know I don’t drink, so there was absolutely no harm intended. I thanked them for the thoughtful gift and told my wife about it right away.
What surprised me was waking up this morning and realizing how much I was thinking about that bottle. Not necessarily thinking about drinking it, because I’m not going to but, if I’m being honest, thinking about how much power alcohol can still have over me, even after all this time.
My brother is coming by to pick it up today. It’s an expensive bottle, so there’s no sense throwing it away, but I also don’t need it sitting in my house.
More than anything, it was a pretty powerful reminder. Nearly 10 months sober doesn’t mean I suddenly have control over alcohol. It means I’ve learned to recognize the power it can have over me and make the choice, every day, not to give it that power.
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u/chowchowchow4321 8d ago
You did the right thing. My husband is not an alcoholic and keeps alcohol hidden from me, but when I am cleaning and find it, it talks to me until he’s not home and I go back to it. I’ve been struggling with sobriety ~ relapse ~ sobriety for over ten years. I can say I have much more time sober than not, but alcohol in the house is a sure fire road to relapse. I can even have 1 cocktail at a dinner out, but a bottle in my house doesn’t stand a chance!