License Restoration Questions - Surrounded by Drinking
Why were you there?
Did it bother you to be around alcohol?
Did it bother you to be around people who were drinking?
These questions will test you comfort level when you find yourself in an environment where alcohol is present. Your honest response should include the understanding that you do everything you can, within reason, to minimize your exposure to alcohol in the first place. Nevertheless, it may seem too incredible to allege you have completely divorced yourself from the sheer presence of alcohol, or from those who are consuming it; you will, for example, be invited to a family wedding where alcohol will be served. You should have a ready response for how you deal with such situations. It may be problematic to show that you are bothered by the presence of alcohol, as it may show that your urges have not entirely gone away.
However, while the urge to drink may never go away completely, you should now be in a position that you are bothered by its presence. Some clients have successfully showed that seeing alcohol so readily available has reminded them of a dark time in their lives and how they have learned from those experiences. It is a good idea to contrast what you see at these festivities to what you are today. It may make you ill to think that you could be one of the people at this get-together that are so carelessly abusing alcohol to “have fun.” You may also take great pity that the people getting drunk around you do not understand the long-term ramifications of their actions and how it can create major problems in life.
You cannot live in a bubble; your ability to integrate into society is a major reason why you can safely drive today. After all, if the mere presence of alcohol or those drinking it tempt you to drink, you may be not as safe to drive again as you may think. Instead, you have reached a point in your life where you are comfortable with your abstinence, even if your temporary environment seems so inviting to the consumption of alcohol.
Remember also, that it is very dangerous to voluntarily be around people who are drinking. You should avoid such situations altogether when you can. However, when it is impractical to not show up to your brother's wedding, have the staunch belief that alcohol remains off-limits to you, as it has for so long prior to your get-together. Demonstrate to the Secretary of State that while you avoid these situations when possible, you quietly disdain its abuse when you see alcohol abused, and that your memories of darker days only reinforce your convictions to remain alcohol-free in the future.