My Wife Ashley and I host a party every Sunday for the football games. We invite about 10-15 people over and its something that we always look forward to! We always put on a big barbeque, serve up a ton of food and just enjoy spending quality time with each other. For me, this is one of many things I enjoy doing now that I'm sober.
Even though some of my friends and I are sober, there are still people who come over and enjoy a glass of wine and/or a few beers. Regardless of if someone is having a couple drinks or not, we all always have a great time -- at least that's what I thought!
A few weekends ago, one of my good friends had a beer or two while watching the football games, and saw that those of us who weren't drinking were actually having more fun than he was. He came up to me and basically expressed how envious he was that we were having so much fun without drinking. It's not that he wasn't enjoying himself, but I think he was under the impression that if anything, the person who was having a few drinks would definitely have more fun in any situation than those who were not drinking at all. He by no means has a problem with drinking, but I think he just came to the conclusion that having fun doesn't always have to mean that drinking needs to be involved.
This isn't something that I haven't seen before, especially in my line of work where I am always striving to help people develop new ways to experience being in the present moment and enjoy life without having to drink. But when it comes to my close friends, seeing a change like this is pretty cool. My friends recognize the life I am living, and see that I am enjoying every bit of it sober. Some of my friends have even curbed their drinking or stopped entirely because they no longer see the point.
To me, my friend's experience was not just something that benefited him, but also something that reassured me that I am on the right path. Every now and again I get reminded that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, and I am so grateful for that!