It’s about 4:15 and I have a horrible urge to drink. It’s Thursday and everyone in Miami is getting ready to start their weekend. I hear my friends and co-workers talking about the happy hour they will be attending this evening and the urge slaps me in the face. After a day of hard work, my habitual mind says “Christina, don’t worry. You’ve worked hard. You deserve a drink!”. I sit here in my chair paralyzed, not wanting to leave my office for fear that I will end up at the next bar. In my mind, I’m rolling the tape all the way forward to remind myself of what it will be like if I pick up a drink. It’s not a pretty picture! I would much rather deal with the emotions on my own than to be hungover and depressed for the next 2 days. Dealing with feelings of boredom, stress and anxiety on your own is much faster and feels much better than going to your neighborhood bar and possibly becoming the star in the next “World’s Dumbest Drunks” episode.

In addition to not drinking, I decided to quit smoking.If you are assuming that I am a raging bitch right now, your assumption would be correct. I have nothing left to cope with any uncomfortable feelings that may occur (stress, anxiety, boredom, etc…). We all cope in different ways. Mine happens to be drinking and smoking. So before I roll off the deep end, I’d like to share my action plan with my readers. Hopefully, this will help you as well. This is what I’ll do after calling my sponsor:

1. Meditate for several minutes.

2. Read the rest of “50 Shades of Grey” (I know. I know. Horrible book, but I can’t seem to put it down)

3. Go to a meeting.

4. Go to dinner.

I will keep myself as busy as possible with calm activities until the desire to drink passes. Tomorrow, I’ll wake up feeling great and have a little more confidence that long term sobriety can be achieved.The following is a list of affordable activities to keep you sober:

1. Take a walk in the park. Connect with nature!

2. If you have a dog, take your dog to the dog park or for a nice, long walk.

3. If you are able, exercise is a great way to lose the urge to drink. I would suggest playing a sport if possible.

4. Going to the movies

5. Playing video games

6. Play a board game with friends or family

7. Look up a recipe and cook a new dish

8. Journal about your urge to drink and what triggered you. You can also share this on our blog. Writing is very therapeutic and can help you gain clarity.

9. If you can’t get to a meeting, check out a video meeting at www.intherooms.com.

These are just a few activities that don’t involve drinking or using drugs.I would recommend putting this list on your fridge and referring to it each time you have the urge to drink. Be prepared! Remember, all you have to do today is not pick up a drink or use drugs. That is our priority at all times.