What is your "why"?

Recovery
#1

What is your "why"?
I feel a lot of people judge others who do not drink or do drugs. For me, Ive faced, a lot of times, people assuming it's because I need to be in "control" of everything.
However, my "why" is because I am a DEEP feeler. I'm sensitive and perceptive.
Alcohol ruins this gift of being a feeler. It's numbing, and it takes away my special trait that I love about myself.

So while Ive learned that no one can ever be 1000% in control, and emotions are not black and white, I can control what I put in my body.

it's about being able to feel my emotions and allow them, to be human!

What is your "why?"

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#2

For me I found just saying “nah I’m good” when offered a drink seems to be the end of it. If someone try’s to push, I just say “no, I am good” a second time. It’s no one’s business if you don’t want to explain why you are not drinking. I have dumped a shot out while staring at the person who bought it after I said no three times. They stopped asking.

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#3

I usually say I don’t drink and I find other people then people self conscious about their own drinking. I try and make it a joke, I’m not ashamed of my addiction if I told my story they wouldn’t press the issue. I’ll usually say something like “I don’t drink because I love to drink” or “I’ve already had my limit for this lifetime” sometimes I just say I’m driving, or still on probation (which used to be true lol) I’m comfortable with my decision I don’t have to explain it or make other people comfortable with the fact that I’m not drinking

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#5

My "why" is simply my decision-making and thus self-fulfilment. When I was drinking/using, my decisions were all focused on the end-goal of "when can I have my next drink", in order to numb myself from underlying issues I needed to address and wasn't giving myself time to. In sobriety my focus is "how can improve myself to be the best man I can be", and my decisions and goals reflect that, thus greatly improving my sense of self. I found a purpose that I work towards constantly to be a productive, happy individual, and my time sober is spent being productive and happy, instead of drinking and miserable.

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#7

My why is because I can't just have one or two and that leads to nothing but self destruction.

#8

Bc I found out I’m pregnant . I really still kind of want to drink and do drugs but if I do my consequences will be bad

#9

My “why” is that drinking is a step in the wrong direction when it comes to all of my goals. And if my goals are really important to me (they are) why would I do something voluntarily that would keep me from achieving them.

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#10

My why is easy, I don’t hang out with anyone not in recovery. I literally have no one in my life that isn’t in AA/NA Other than family. and they all know why so it’s never offered when I’m with them. because they’ve been there and seen me at my worst and been there helping me through my recovery and watching me crawl out of the gutter drugs and alcohol put me in🥰 if I ever did go anywhere and encountered people not in recovery, I would just say “I’m in AA, I don’t do that anymore”. It’s easy for me because I am not working yet and therefore my circle is very limited so I don’t have to face that. I count that as a huge blessing because I know there is a lot of judgement. Last time I got clean for a short time my “friends” at the time, someone in another group called them “opportunistic acquaintances” (which I love) gave me tons of grief because I passed when they passed the pipe and wouldn’t accept the beer they offered. One day at a time and I guess my why is primarily because I now have the freedom to choose to say no when I didn’t before! Good topic!

#11

I've attended many many functions that include alcohol and if someone asks me why I don't drink I just tell him I don't like the effect however if they want to go bungee cord somewhere I am on board and that's normally the end of it - it is my truth because I am an adrenaline junkie

#12

Maybe later I say :woman_shrugging:

#13

I needed to drink or smoke to “feel”. I’ve realized I’m addicted to feeling. Like really FEELING. Those were the quick routes down that path. Little did I know that actually living life could achieve the same results. Who’d of thought.

#14

I have 2 why's. Myself, bc I'm awesome, and 2 teenage monsters that call me dad!!!!

#15

When somebody offers me a drink I say no I’m good if they ask why I tell him because I don’t have enough sense to stop