Camping Sober

We are getting ready to go on our third camping trip since I got sober. I really love camping! But camping used to mean a three day drunk fest and coming back absolutely exhausted and then being hangover for days. The drinking from sunrise to sunset sure took a toll on the body and then the blackouts and passing out sure didn't help. OMG. I remember once going camping and telling myself to make sure that I pace my drinking because I didn't want to repeat the events of my last camping trip! - then, that ended up being my last camping trip. Not worth mentioning what happened. Ugh.

When I got sober, I thought, man I guess camping is out, how can you go camping without drinking? Who does that? I mean what do you do all day if you don't drink? Lol! Yep, I thought that!

Then I heard about the sober camping trip that was organized by my AA district group, I was absolutely ecstatic and scared at the same time! Will it be boring? What are we going to do? Will I know anybody? Plunging into new experiences sober can be quite overwhelming without the "trusty" courage in the bottle! Lol! But the idea of being around my kind of people was comforting, as well as reassuring that I will not be drinking. And that was good enough for me!



Our Mega Tent!

This year we are going along with a newcomer, mother of 2 and her husband who is not in the program - I always admire the spouses who are supportive; it's not easy to live or understand an alcoholic/addict - I got lucky, my husband is also in AA.

There are many thing to do camping, which BTW I would have never done on my drunk camping trips! During the day we can go kayaking, swimming or hiking, or just hang out the campsite. And being that this is an AA event there are several meetings a day and a huge night meeting, around the camp fire, that starts at 8pm and goes on till everyone is done sharing... Some 50+ people! Yep, all night long. So we still end up exhausted and dirty, but we do it all SOBER!

Events like this sure make me feel like I am not alone! I am not unique, I am not strange or an outcast, I am not the only one struggling or figuring out how to manage life sober! There is a huge part of WE in the fellowship of AA, and I am eternally grateful for that!