October is National Substance Abuse Prevention month. But most media focuses only on October being Breast Cancer Awareness month. CBS news posted a 14 day challenge of stopping alcohol and drugs to raise awareness for everyone suffering from addiction and substance abuse problems.
I posted a link to the challenge on my Facebook. Some people agreed to do it. Others bragged about doing it longer and how good they felt. They make it sound easy. I guess it is easy if you are not an alcoholic. But telling me it is easy is sort of patronizing my struggle.
Mistake 243- One guy that said he will do the challenge is a guy I once had a crush on. The last time I saw him, when I was in his city for a night, I got drunk. I had the idea that he would feel more confident taking advantage of me if I were trashed. He either was turned off by my drunkenness or was not interested. Or maybe he is just a nice guy that was not wanting a one night stand. Yet he seems to “like” most of my statuses about being sober.
365reasons2sober 
“But telling me it is easy is sort of patronizing my struggle.”
That’s actually really profound. Very likely much more so than you intended when you wrote it, I’m thinking. I’ve had this thought kind of noodling around in my temporal lobe most of the day through all the distractions going on right now with my moth-in-law in the hospital and everything else, but I think you just summed up in one sentence why I haven’t posted this on FB to my drinking friends. Now I know why. Thanks so much for that moment of shimmering clarity. To be sure, I owe you one.
…mother-in-law…
When I tried the 100 Day Challenge (and failed after 20 days) in February, I told pretty much everyone what I was doing. This time, I tell people when they ask what I’m drinking if and when we’re out together. If they don’t ask, I don’t tell. It’ll be years before some of them realise I’ve stopped altogether because the reality is most people aren’t that interested and that’s just fine – it isn’t about them, or what they think. People who think giving up anything you enjoy, or is a way of life, is easy – are lying. I wouldn’t take what your patronising ‘friends’ say too seriously, but I would thank the guy who ‘Liked’ your sober status.
Hi, I am loving your blog. I discovered it about a week ago and am slowly working my way through your posts. I’m in April right now. There are so many things I identify with, especially all the truly soul destroying stuff we do when we are out of it.
I’m 33 days into the 100 day challenge and this is my 3rd serious attempt, previously I’ve had 4 and 5 months sobriety in AA, but I am not going back there…
When people brag about their abstinence they probably have no idea that they are patronising your struggle. I don’t think you can understand the lure of alcohol if you’re not an alcoholic. I’ve tried to explain to friends and family many times and they still say ‘why don’t you only have one…’ AAGGHHH!
Now back to April…. thanks xx
Thanks for reading and best wishes for this journey. Stay strong!