I had been a daily drinker for years, but like many “high-functioning” alcoholics, I had mostly managed to keep my habit relegated to the nights. I’d get through the workdays completely sober, but I’d always stop to buy a pack of beer on the way home, and I’d be drunk by the time I fell asleep.
Once I got sober, the daylight hours were relatively easy. I wasn’t used to drinking then anyway, and I had work to keep myself distracted.
But, as I went home each day, I was already thinking about drinking. It took everything I had to drive straight back to my apartment without stopping at the grocery store for beer.
During my first few weeks sober, I spent many nights just sitting around and thinking about alcohol. I’d try to watch television but get so distracted by my cravings that I couldn’t even follow the plot of a dumb sitcom.