Sober in Vegas
When we got home, we would have drank to escape the feelings of disgust...but with rules in place. Only red wine this week, only after a workout, only after finishing a large Hydro Flask of water, only until 9:00 PM...OK 10:00.
It's been fifteen years since I was last in Vegas. We were pleasantly surprised that there are no longer naked women on business cards all over the sidewalks. We weren't sure how we were going to explain that to our kids. I was unpleasantly surprised how smokey the casinos still are. I thought that maybe there would be less smokers these days, smoking sections, or better ventilation.
Our kids did ask a lot of questions about why people smoke. We said that people often start when they are kids and trying to be cool. Eventually, they get addicted. A lot of the people who were smoking were drinking. We explained that when people drink they don't always make good choices. It's harder to make good choices when you are drinking. Of course they said they are never drinking or smoking. I said the same thing in elementary school.
Overall, it was not hard to drink. We have the airports, planes, and restaurants down now. I occasionally had a twinge of longing for how much temporary fun we would have had kidless and two years ago. I immediately reminded myself how much happier and more healthy we are now, and I could shake the thoughts away. I never want to go back to the way we were.
We would not choose to go back to Vegas again. It would only be another youth athletic event or a work trip that brought us there. However...we did it!!! More sober vacation and travel associations to add to our tool belts.
When I think about how grateful I am that I didn't wait any longer to completely overhaul my life in this way, I am overwhelmed with emotion. I truly was at a fork in the road and will never regret the path that I chose.
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