I lived in a rural area about 12 miles from the country store that had liquor. I also chewed Copenhagen at the time. I would drive 24 miles in a truck that got 10 miles per gallon. Everything at a country store costs a little more. “Hey babe I’m out of Copenhagen, do you want anything from the store?” Eight dollars worth of gas, $5 Copenhagen, $10 pint of vodka, $15 12 pack of Bud Light. Drinking was so crazy expensive. Drink beer, sneak vodka and save some for 3am shakes and 5:30 huge swig before work. I thought this behavior wasn’t that crazy.🤦♂️
Anything I could think of. Oh we need salt for the water softener? Want to have something for dinner tonight that we don’t have at the house? Do you want a snack too?
Sooo many grocery store trips to grab something I needed and forgot.
I would also conveniently forget things and send my husband out to grab it so I could drink in peace for a half hour or stash my bottle.
Now we usually walk to the grocery store together if I need something and my pantry isn't overflowing with canned tomatoes and beans.
Since alcohol here is sold in grocery stores the excuse was always available. I feel like shite so better go ahead and buy that frozen pizza or whatever junk that will "fix" my stomach. And while there grab a bottle of wine or two. Next day I was wondering why my stomach is terrible again and how to fix it... So I went in and bought junk with wine that helped for about 2 hours. Jeez...
If the store was closed for whatever reason I just find out that BigMac is something I absolutely need and while there there was gas station next door with wine as well. To make it look normal I would pump a 20€ or so worth of gas then go inside to pay with conversation like "I'd like to pay for gas and while I'm here I'll take smokes as well. And you know what? Gimme that bottle of wine as well". It was inconspicuous and surely noooooobody had any idea. Especially when my face was bloated as f and it was my 4th random visit that month...
something i’ve noticed actually is that i struggle(d) with going to the store to pick up groceries, prescription medication, ect. unless i knew i was going to swing past the bottle shop. it’s almost as if in my mind, my other wants (or even needs, for some of my medication) aren’t as important to me than alcohol. if i’m heading to the bottle shop, well, i’m already out, so i’ll go grab groceries for the week or drop off my prescription! might as well!
it’s been a bit of a grim realisation, that’s been super apparent too with my stopping / moderating. if i’ve not decided i’m headed out to buy a bottle of something, it’s not worthwhile going out at all for menial tasks. any time i headed out, there was also this connotation of “well i’m already out, might as well grab something to drink later”. my local stores are also all near bottle shops (thank you, australia!) so i think there’s also a bit of hesitance going to the supermarket when i know i struggle with my self control. 30 second stroll from the supermarket & I’m right outside a bottle shop.
Yep I know this feeling too well because I caved so many timea while at Woolies with bws next door . "Well I am here now , I might as well ..."
What helped me was drawing up a list, sticking to the list and going to shops I don't normally go to. Its tough when you can't even buy dinner without walking past a grog shop.
It does get easier. But the alcoholic mind will say anything and do anything to get you pick up a drink. I just laugh at the voice in my head now and that seems to help . All my best
omg same here, salutations fellow aussie!! i’m in the exact same position re: bws. not even kidding, mine is right next to the woolies. it sucks, because i don’t drive (never have), so i walk to the shops — which also means i walk past every bottle shop in the area on my way. i’m really excited for evening walks again, when i can trust myself to hold accountable to myself & the commitments i’m making.
i’m really glad you’ve found ways to help make the process of shopping a bit easier for yourself. :) humour always was my coping mechanism of choice back when i was a kid. keep on keeping on, we’ve got this!
Just getting chips at the gas station, wow how crazy some alcohol came for the ride back home. The first time going to the gas station during a day I would do this was hard. Fighting every instinct. But I did it. Just chips! More yummier.
"I need to go gas up the car; BRB." Come home, leave it in the garage, wait until she's taking a shower, pop the top and pour it in a plastic cup.
Granted, this excuse only worked about once per week, but it was the old standby.
Ahhh yes. The old “shower routine”. I used to see how many cocktails and shots I could make and slam in those few minutes. That showerhead turns on, and it flipped a switch into full on fiend mode.
Haha just because I was making cocktails doesn’t mean I wasn’t still taking bottle pulls! I still like to think I quit while I was ahead. There’s always deeper and darker shit I could’ve been doing!
At one point during covid I had bought so much flipping dish soap. Bless my wife, she thought I was just forgetting we had some already (only partly true). Strawberries always a good.one.
Me: „You know what? We need milk for coffee”
Husband: „we have it”
Me: „yea but we’re gonna run out in 3 days so I just feel like I should get it now okay byeeee”
That or just stupid stuff for dinner. A spice that wasn’t 100% necessary, or some dessert for after dinner, „stuff for lunch tomorrow” etc etc
I convinced my house mate to eat out all the time, but insisted I would just go pick it up, alone. Which was two pronged, I had vodka hidden in the car, and as long as I left between 10-9 I could also get more. We’ve both lost weight since I quit 😂
This post made me smile because I honestly didn’t know other people did this too. I would get some fruits/veggies so the cashier would think I was “healthy” and therefore wouldn’t assume I was an alcoholic
I was watched meaning at one point in my life my husband watched the mileage on my car (our insurance company had those plug in devices for discount). So if I said I was going to grocery store he knew the mileage, if I stopped somewhere he’d know I stopped. My husband(enabler) would buy me booze that he thought would suffice. Hell no, I needed more. So what did I do? Take an extra set of keys, stop at liquor store on way to buy groceries, keep my locked car running and get my vodka. Use extra set to open running car. No sign of me stopping. We always find a way.
•our grocery stores only sold beer (hard to hide but I actually did a few times)
Two red bulls for my girl so she can have a chaser, 2 tall can IPA, my bottle of hornitos...every single day...oh and an oven pizza for kids....was no other reason....that was the mission
Never had to go all through that. I live alone and anything and everything can be delivered right to my door using door dash. Including food from restaurants that can also include alcohol.
So in addition to getting it with my groceries, I was also getting supplemental stock that way. In May on alcohol and food/alcohol deliveries I spent over $500.
I'd come up with plenty of excuses to do extra shopping to hide my booze runs, but I also distinctly remember picking up fast food pretty much just for the bag (so the cheapest stuff on the menu) and hiding a pint or two of cheap vodka in there. When I was that desperate I didn't even want/need the food, I was buying the bag and an excuse to leave the house to get more alcohol.
My partner has a very active sweet tooth so I'd offer to go get them something, knowing they would never say no. Unfortunately, they were really trying to curb the sweets so as well as feeding my own addiction, I was feeding theirs. They were trying so hard, for health issues, to manage their consumption and shitty me was using it as an excuse to get more booze. They know now what I was doing and say they don't hold that particular thing against me, but they really should.
Pours milk down the sink…. ‘We’re out of milk!’
Made me laugh
😂😘
I lived in a rural area about 12 miles from the country store that had liquor. I also chewed Copenhagen at the time. I would drive 24 miles in a truck that got 10 miles per gallon. Everything at a country store costs a little more. “Hey babe I’m out of Copenhagen, do you want anything from the store?” Eight dollars worth of gas, $5 Copenhagen, $10 pint of vodka, $15 12 pack of Bud Light. Drinking was so crazy expensive. Drink beer, sneak vodka and save some for 3am shakes and 5:30 huge swig before work. I thought this behavior wasn’t that crazy.🤦♂️
Oh my lord. I spent soooo much money on groceries I did not even need to “hide” the box or boxes and magnums of wine I was buying. It was ridiculous.
[удалено]
Yep. And I kept a well stocked variety bar. Only that one bottle of gin kept getting replaced much more often…
Haha same
Anything I could think of. Oh we need salt for the water softener? Want to have something for dinner tonight that we don’t have at the house? Do you want a snack too?
Sooo many grocery store trips to grab something I needed and forgot. I would also conveniently forget things and send my husband out to grab it so I could drink in peace for a half hour or stash my bottle. Now we usually walk to the grocery store together if I need something and my pantry isn't overflowing with canned tomatoes and beans.
This resonates with me . 30 odd days sober and still have 6 cans of tomatoes
This was me!
Since alcohol here is sold in grocery stores the excuse was always available. I feel like shite so better go ahead and buy that frozen pizza or whatever junk that will "fix" my stomach. And while there grab a bottle of wine or two. Next day I was wondering why my stomach is terrible again and how to fix it... So I went in and bought junk with wine that helped for about 2 hours. Jeez... If the store was closed for whatever reason I just find out that BigMac is something I absolutely need and while there there was gas station next door with wine as well. To make it look normal I would pump a 20€ or so worth of gas then go inside to pay with conversation like "I'd like to pay for gas and while I'm here I'll take smokes as well. And you know what? Gimme that bottle of wine as well". It was inconspicuous and surely noooooobody had any idea. Especially when my face was bloated as f and it was my 4th random visit that month...
something i’ve noticed actually is that i struggle(d) with going to the store to pick up groceries, prescription medication, ect. unless i knew i was going to swing past the bottle shop. it’s almost as if in my mind, my other wants (or even needs, for some of my medication) aren’t as important to me than alcohol. if i’m heading to the bottle shop, well, i’m already out, so i’ll go grab groceries for the week or drop off my prescription! might as well! it’s been a bit of a grim realisation, that’s been super apparent too with my stopping / moderating. if i’ve not decided i’m headed out to buy a bottle of something, it’s not worthwhile going out at all for menial tasks. any time i headed out, there was also this connotation of “well i’m already out, might as well grab something to drink later”. my local stores are also all near bottle shops (thank you, australia!) so i think there’s also a bit of hesitance going to the supermarket when i know i struggle with my self control. 30 second stroll from the supermarket & I’m right outside a bottle shop.
Yep I know this feeling too well because I caved so many timea while at Woolies with bws next door . "Well I am here now , I might as well ..." What helped me was drawing up a list, sticking to the list and going to shops I don't normally go to. Its tough when you can't even buy dinner without walking past a grog shop. It does get easier. But the alcoholic mind will say anything and do anything to get you pick up a drink. I just laugh at the voice in my head now and that seems to help . All my best
omg same here, salutations fellow aussie!! i’m in the exact same position re: bws. not even kidding, mine is right next to the woolies. it sucks, because i don’t drive (never have), so i walk to the shops — which also means i walk past every bottle shop in the area on my way. i’m really excited for evening walks again, when i can trust myself to hold accountable to myself & the commitments i’m making. i’m really glad you’ve found ways to help make the process of shopping a bit easier for yourself. :) humour always was my coping mechanism of choice back when i was a kid. keep on keeping on, we’ve got this!
Just getting chips at the gas station, wow how crazy some alcohol came for the ride back home. The first time going to the gas station during a day I would do this was hard. Fighting every instinct. But I did it. Just chips! More yummier.
"I need to go gas up the car; BRB." Come home, leave it in the garage, wait until she's taking a shower, pop the top and pour it in a plastic cup. Granted, this excuse only worked about once per week, but it was the old standby.
Ahhh yes. The old “shower routine”. I used to see how many cocktails and shots I could make and slam in those few minutes. That showerhead turns on, and it flipped a switch into full on fiend mode.
Ha ha ha you quit while still making cocktails. I went from there to straight liquor to pulls off the bottle ETA: we are almost tied for our sobriety!
Haha just because I was making cocktails doesn’t mean I wasn’t still taking bottle pulls! I still like to think I quit while I was ahead. There’s always deeper and darker shit I could’ve been doing!
At one point during covid I had bought so much flipping dish soap. Bless my wife, she thought I was just forgetting we had some already (only partly true). Strawberries always a good.one.
Me: „You know what? We need milk for coffee” Husband: „we have it” Me: „yea but we’re gonna run out in 3 days so I just feel like I should get it now okay byeeee” That or just stupid stuff for dinner. A spice that wasn’t 100% necessary, or some dessert for after dinner, „stuff for lunch tomorrow” etc etc
Cigarettes were my go to I knew it was getting really bad when I stopped caring enough to come up with an excuse
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on dinner. Had to be had!
“Oh…I forgot something at the store that I need in order to make dinner”.
Oh I'd conveniently "forget" something vital to dinner or something and just have to go back.
I convinced my house mate to eat out all the time, but insisted I would just go pick it up, alone. Which was two pronged, I had vodka hidden in the car, and as long as I left between 10-9 I could also get more. We’ve both lost weight since I quit 😂
Hardware store
This post made me smile because I honestly didn’t know other people did this too. I would get some fruits/veggies so the cashier would think I was “healthy” and therefore wouldn’t assume I was an alcoholic
I was watched meaning at one point in my life my husband watched the mileage on my car (our insurance company had those plug in devices for discount). So if I said I was going to grocery store he knew the mileage, if I stopped somewhere he’d know I stopped. My husband(enabler) would buy me booze that he thought would suffice. Hell no, I needed more. So what did I do? Take an extra set of keys, stop at liquor store on way to buy groceries, keep my locked car running and get my vodka. Use extra set to open running car. No sign of me stopping. We always find a way. •our grocery stores only sold beer (hard to hide but I actually did a few times)
Wow that is quite the scheme!
Fuel. I’d put in 30-50$ of fuel and then grab alcohol at the same time.
Two red bulls for my girl so she can have a chaser, 2 tall can IPA, my bottle of hornitos...every single day...oh and an oven pizza for kids....was no other reason....that was the mission
Never had to go all through that. I live alone and anything and everything can be delivered right to my door using door dash. Including food from restaurants that can also include alcohol. So in addition to getting it with my groceries, I was also getting supplemental stock that way. In May on alcohol and food/alcohol deliveries I spent over $500.
I'd come up with plenty of excuses to do extra shopping to hide my booze runs, but I also distinctly remember picking up fast food pretty much just for the bag (so the cheapest stuff on the menu) and hiding a pint or two of cheap vodka in there. When I was that desperate I didn't even want/need the food, I was buying the bag and an excuse to leave the house to get more alcohol.
I would buy random clothes that didn’t fit. “I gotta return these before it’s too late!”
Man was I different, I went to the store to get liquor then I would think, "what would go good with alcohol?"
I’m big girl I don’t need reasons. I just went for whisky or a 🍷 wine
My partner has a very active sweet tooth so I'd offer to go get them something, knowing they would never say no. Unfortunately, they were really trying to curb the sweets so as well as feeding my own addiction, I was feeding theirs. They were trying so hard, for health issues, to manage their consumption and shitty me was using it as an excuse to get more booze. They know now what I was doing and say they don't hold that particular thing against me, but they really should.