People Places and Things

One of the things many in early sobriety struggle with is keeping away from your old “party” buddies. The best way to beat the loneliness is to find a new community of like-minded people to help you stay on track. This is the reason 12 step meetings are so critical, especially during the first year. You’re kidding yourself if you think, with a few weeks of sobriety, that you can sit with your old bar buddies and have a club soda. This is not to say you can never be around people who drink – it would be hard to live in the real world and not be exposed to drinking at work functions, friends’ birthdays, and other occasions. However, it’s important that you be strong in recovery before putting yourself in situations where you might be tempted to “have just one.”

There is also a big difference between hanging out at your old bar or with drugging friends and going to your office Christmas party where some people are drinking. If you find yourself gravitating back toward your drug-abusing or alcohol-abusing friends, reach out for help from your new sober and clean friends.