At Athan's request, I'm posting this under my Intro as both a reminder to myself, and as a potential help to others. Slightly revised from my quit group posting to correct some type-o's and elaborate on a couple thoughts...
Posted on Day 15 (today) of my quit:
For me, Saturday night was my biggest "test" since starting my quit. Both of my brothers, and many of my friends dip. I've managed to avoid them all since quitting to keep the temptation out of reach, but that of course cannot last forever. Saturday night my wife and I visited my brother and his wife for dinner (+plenty of beer when he and I get together). He knows I've been quitting, and though he's not ready to join me in the effort, he's not one to try to knock me off course. However, he does like to leave his can lying around, so it would not have been difficult to ninja-swipe a pinch like a good little addict; and I would be lying if I said the thought didn't cross my mind. Long story short, I didn't cave, and honestly, though the temptation was there and felt; the epic crave sensation didn't hit me as it did earlier on. I could however feel that twinge of complacency saying "it'll be fine if you just have one". I managed to ignore it. I say this because here are my take-aways from that situation:
1) I'm only 2 weeks in. However, if I had been in that situation in the first week (first 4 days especially), there is a good chance I would not have had that much resolve.
2) I was much more conscious/ cautious of keeping the beer intake low to avoid letting that taking over my decision making.
3) Complacency comes easy. As we said in the Marines, complacency kills. I kept it at bay by remembering how "far" I've come, and how badly I did not want to fucking go through those really early days again. This is especially important for me, because I need to realize that though I was successful this night and in this situation, it should not give me a false sense of security. I know there will be many other temptations, especially as we move into spring/ summer crawfish boils, BBQs, ball games, etc...
4) Letting your family know what you're trying to accomplish, and asking for their help in doing so is vital.
5) None of what I 'accomplished' on Saturday means nothing if I don't repeat quitting again today.
Take from it what you will. As mentioned, this is as much for myself as it is for anyone else. There's no lesson here that hasn't been learned and taught by countless others, but they are important to keep in mind nonetheless.