[darco]

what if the reason you drink is because it is the only way you can get done those important things and if you don't you get to bed 'normal' hours and then end up disappointing the people you care about?

what if you drink because you are then less of an introvert and more outgoing and people tell you they like you better when 'you have had a few'

what if you get invited to all the parties because you are so much fun and get everybody else in the mood (when you have had a few).

what if when you try to stop drinking people keep asking what is wrong because you are so quiet and 'boring'

what if people could except me for who I am when sober and more importantly if I actally start to like the person I am when sober...... what if then?????

[DePressMe]

What if you are sober and true to yourself? Allow yourself to be the real you and start to accept the real you as a wonderful person. Some may not like you as much ...but there are many others who will love you.

[Lenny]

What if you drink yourself unconscious while being so wonderfully fun and choke on your own vomit...

What if you drink yourself into ullusionary immortality and drive into a van full of young children...

What if you drink into a blackout and are used until a STD test gives you a death sentence...

ETC....

Lenny

[StarPonysMama]

Oh.....there are many what-if's!

This biggest what if that I can come up with to respond to these is - WHAT IF IT TAKES CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE?

I can honestly say that I chose to drink for some of the very same reasons as you. I was the "life" of the party.

But now, I throw my "own" party and I have no headache the next day! I party every day on higher productivity levels, a hightened sense of purpose, and with the REAL friends who watched me get here.

You don't loose friends is my EXPERIENCE. You lose "drinking buddies". You eliminate triggers. You eliminate the uselessness of your life.

For every person out there who has an alcohol problem there's one that doesn't that will realize your TRUE SELF and love you for WHO YOU ARE. When you drink - that's not who you are. That's a lot of JUNK IMHO.

Don't be afraid to let the real you shine through. Sometimes others hold too high of expectations on us.....and in my experience it has been because when I drank, I was a pushover and a people pleaser. Now being sober, I realize that I have to take care of ME because nobody else will do it for you.

Sorry to rant but, I just hope you see the WONDERFUL points of letting go of alcohol. It's really not all it's cracked up to be. After a good drunk your problems do not disapper - they are stil there facing you.......and we chose to drink again to yet again sweep them under the rug! Don't let yourself be fooled SOBRIETY IS BEAUTIFUL, not EASY but very BEAUTIFUL.

[Stiv]

What if you find out after the soft stuff really hits the fan that it just wasn't worth it after all?

[MyBestKids2]

My what-ifs were limitless too, when I drank.

Then I realized all of the problems were there when I woke up from the hangover, as well as numerous others (including a DUI).

[Perna]

Instead of spending the time being the life of other people's parties for them, and getting them in the mood, explore your own self and interests and like StarsPony says, get your own thing going and people will join you instead of you having to hope they'll invite you because you meet their specs.

Think of a magnet; there are two halves; the attractive half and the half that just gets pulled in by the attraction. Which do you want to be?