The Company Holiday Party: A Sober Reflection

Can't say all drinkers have war stories from company holiday parties over the years, but I bet a lot do. Every time I'm around an open bar it reminds me how glad I am that I don't drink anymore. No longer am I governed entirely by the prospect of free booze. Free booze that came with a cost, of course. And that cost was often regrettable behavior and a big hangover the next day.

I can't tell you how many Saturday and Sunday mornings I'd be waking up looking through my phone trying to piece together what happened the night before. What did I do? Who did I talk shit to? What inappropriate things did say? That's not just the story of holiday parties for me. It's the story of my drinking, really.

I do see the old me sometimes. I see the guy grabbing two drinks at the bar and they're really both for him. That was me. I looked for solutions and answers to why my life was f'd up, but completely ignored drinking. No way was I ever giving that up.

 When the lights came on and I was able to stop (and it took a long time), I started to see just how massive this problem was. I was overwhelmed but also so glad that I could finally see it. And knowing I didn't have to participate in it anymore! This was the beginning of freedom for me. The freedoms have been increasing ever since. I put alcohol back on the shelf and I got my life back. I got ME back. And I'm still learning.

This piece in the New York Post details much about the problems that alcohol in a work party setting can bring on. So glad I'm not part of that anymore.