Episode Details

I’ll walk you through five simple questions to ask before you go into any social situation. One of the most common questions people ask in early sobriety is, “Should I go?” Should I go to the birthday party? The barbecue? The wedding? The vacation? The girls’ weekend? The dinner where everyone else will be drinking? And I get it. The world doesn’t stop drinking just because you did. People still invite you places. Life keeps moving. And you don’t want sobriety to feel like a punishment where you hide in your house forever and say no to everything. But here’s the truth: in early sobriety, your job is not to prove how strong you are. Your job is to stay sober. In this episode, I’m helping you stop asking, “Am I allowed to go?” and start asking the question that actually matters: “Can I trust myself to follow my plan when the pressure hits?” Because you can make the most beautiful little sober plan in the world. You can drive yourself, hold your mocktail, stay for 45 minutes, rehearse your exit line, and know exactly what you’ll say if someone offers you a drink. But none of that matters if you abandon yourself in the moment it counts. That moment when someone puts a shot in your face. That moment when your friend says, “Come on, just one.” That moment when everyone else is laughing and loose and you suddenly feel awkward, exposed, and outside the circle. That is where sobriety is decided. We’re also talking about why early sobriety is not the time to test yourself for sport. You are not auditioning for the role of Most Impressive Sober Person. You are learning how to protect something that is still new, still growing, and still becoming solid. I’ll walk you through five simple questions to ask before you go into any social situation. This episode is your permission slip to stop making sobriety harder than it has to be. Sometimes the smartest, strongest, most sober decision is: not yet. Not this weekend. Not with that group. Not at that place. Not while I’m shaky. Not until I trust myself more. That doesn’t mean never. It means you’re honest about where you are right now. And honesty is how you build sobriety that lasts. Your sobriety is worth more than any party, any wedding toast, any awkward conversation, or anyone’s opinion about whether you’re fun. It deserves your attention. It deserves your protection. And so do you.   Links mentioned in this episode:  Book A Call Here: addictionunlimited.com/call Related Episode: The Small Daily Decisions that Make or Break Your Sobriety Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/addictionunlimited/ Join Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited   Prefer to read instead of listen? Here’s the full transcript of this episode. 438 Transcript Angela (00:10.68) Hello, my friend. Welcome back to Addiction Unlimited. I'm your coach, Angela Pugh. Today we're talking about one of the most common questions people ask in early sobriety. Should I go? Should I go to the birthday party? Should I go to dinner with my friends when everyone else is drinking? Should I go on the vacation to the barbecue, to the concert? Should I go to the pool party, the girls' weekend, the neighborhood happy hour? And I get it because the world doesn't stop drinking. Just because you did. Life keeps lifing. People keep inviting you places, birthdays keep happening, vacations still show up on the calendar, and your friends are still your friends. And in early sobriety, all of that can feel really confusing. Mm-hmm. Angela (01:06.412) Because on one hand, you don't want to isolate. You don't want to hide from your house. You don't want to hide in your house forever. You don't want sobriety to feel like a punishment. You don't want to become someone who says no to everything and has no life and no fun and no connection. But on the other hand, you also don't want to put yourself in a situation where you end up drinking and wake up the next morning feeling embarras