The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
With St. Patrick's Day right around the corner, I'd like to offer a suggestion. We all know how hard it can be on all of us - especially with an active A in the house. AS if addicts needed another excuse to drink or drug. (They do it b/c they are addicts.) If things are tough remember the chat room is always open. Post here. Get to a meeting. Do what we always do.
Having said that I offer an alternative. Instead of fearing or dreading St. Patrick's Day let's put a new spin on it. Put the focus back on us. Now to be honest, this Welsh, Russian, Filipino lady really has NO idea what it's like to be Irish! But I do love the color green, drink my Irish Breakfast tea regularly and pototoes & corned beef rule (no cabbage - yuk!).
So for me I have renamed my St. Patrick's Day as St. Pipers' Day! Never heard of St. Pipers' Day? I'm shocked! I thought the entire world knew of St. Pipers' Day! Well let me tell you about it.
St. Pipers' Day is when Pipers leads all the mousies, moles and squirrels out of the neighbors' yard and onto my patio. The neighbors' celebrate this because they won't get at their flowerbeds. I will honor St. Pipers by playing Irish music (which I adore), eating corned beef, potatoes and make Irish Soda Bread.
Now what kind of celebration are you going to plan? What's the name of the new holiday? St. Mandy's Day? St. Jerry's Day? St. Elvis Day? It can be anything you want it to be. The point is take a day that can be difficult and turn it around. Make it fun for yourself and your family. Make it fun for your pets. Sorry I can't dye Pipers green as she's a black cat. Although she does have green eyes. Remember keep the focus on you and what's important. That's the whole point of this. I can't wait to see your ideas. Much love and blessings to you and your family.
Live strong, Karilynn & St. Pipers
__________________
It's your life. Take no prisoners. You will have it your way.
Love the idea.. I hope it catches on for everyone.. Believe it or not my AH has never really got into Saint Patty's celibrations.. So our Saint Patricks day has always been about being funny.. We hide the gold coin candy for our girls to find, We have a green dinner.. Dr Suess would love us.. breakfast is Green Eggs and Ham.. :) You won't believe the giggles created when you let two very imaginative girls figure out what they want green for dinner.. BTW Green Cottage Cheese is not very pleasent looking.. but still tastes great... Hope Everyone finds a way to enjoy St Patty's Day...
It has been a fun day my whole life. I have also made Green Scrambled Eggs for breakfast. Dinner was more fun with: Green Mashed Potatoes, Green Bread, with the Corned Beef and Cabbage. For dessert we had Green layer cake with Green whipped creamg. Irish music playing all day and of coarse the parade made the day very special.
The "drinking holidays" how I remember them...and dreaded them. Of course as you said, A's don't need an excuse to drink. My A doesn't drink anymore, he is a dry drunk with no program. So, the only thing that has gotten better is that he no longer drinks and drives pretty much.
Another famous "drinking holiday" is Cinco de Mayo. How ironic, in Mexico this is a very minor holiday, celebrating a small military victory, sort of like a scaled down Memorial Day. EVERYONE I have asked who actually LIVED in Mexico, and is Mexican (not an American trained to get drunk that day who is living in Mexico) has never celebrated it at all, and if they would it DEFINATELY would not be a drunkfest. They are shocked when they come here and see the way Cinco de Mayo has been portrayed in this country. Drinking has nothing to do with it in Mexico. But it is in May with good weather, so bars go all out with decorations and specials so people will overflow their patios in the warm weather buying drinks and "celebrating" Cindo de Mayo, UGH! It is sickening the way corporations exploit alcoholics and encourage them to rejoice and relish in it at least a few days of the year. Just out of curiosity I sometimes ask people here what Cinco de Mayo is really about when they ask if I am "celebrating" it, they NEVER know, they say it is just a "big holiday" in Mexico and they plan to go to the local bar and "celebrate" (they mean DRINK).
Anyway, I have done that with Cinco De Mayo with my children, taught them what the real day is about in Mexico, that it has nothing to do with drinking, that the way it is celebrated here is a mockery of what the day is really about. It has been hijacked by beer corporations and bars to try to tell people it is "OK" to overindulge on yet another day of the year in this country with one of the highest rates of alcohol consumption in the world (though not the highest, phew). We might cook Mexican food that day, sometimes researching recipes for Mexican food not offered on the Taco Bell menu, LOL. We might decorate the house with Mexican craft projects, or try to learn some Mexican folk dancing. We make it FUN.
OK, off of my soapbox, LOL.
I hope you and Pipers have a great "St. Pipers" day! Maybe you can sneak a wee bit o food safe green food coloring in Pipers water bowl, LOL!
But I do love the color green, drink my Irish Breakfast tea regularly and pototoes & corned beef rule (no cabbage - yuk!
). 
I'm shocked! 
I thought the entire world knew of St. Pipers' Day! 
Well let me tell you about it. 
