I want to share in this post the importance I place on always being aware of what I am drinking.  This is especially true for me when in the presence where others are partaking in alcoholic drinks. Here are some of the precautions I take and some recent experiences. I often am having a diet Pepsi in a can. Sometimes I do set a half full soda  down for a while and forget where I placed it . Now if I am home alone I feel it is okay for me to finish my soda when I find where I placed it. Now if I am in the presence of others I don’t finish my drink. I learned very early in sobriety to never leave your open drink unattended and to always be aware of what you are being served if that is the case. This brings me to two recent experiences over this Fourth of July and its celebrations. I was at a baseball game and one of the neighbors who attended the game with us was having a beer in close proximity to me.  I looked at it only once and prayed to God for any temptation to  go away at once. I followed that prayer with my protected thought that ” I don’t have to live that way anymore”‘. Also during the game, my sister-in-law surprised me with a fountain soda. As I took the first drink out of the straw,  I immediately smelled the nasty aroma of old stale beer. For a moment I panicked, even though I know she would never ever serve me an alcoholic beverage. In any case I had my wife taste the drink for my safety. I suppose the cups and lids had been adjacent to the beer taps in the concession stands and perhaps  some beer spilled on the lids, just speculation, but still likely. Another reason why i should always be aware of what is being served in my cup. Lastly, in attending a family picnic on the fourth I was about to pour a drink out of an insulated cooler when I stopped for a moment. Earlier I had heard that one relative had brought her “special” tea.  As I was about to pour some in my cup it dawned on me that I didn’t know what as in her special tea. I guarded myself by asking my wife if it contained any alcohol and it did not. The point I am making is that it is important to always know what I am drinking whether I am serving  my self or being provided a drink that is not sealed before I open it. I just feel this is added protection for my sobriety. I hope this can be helpful for you. May God bless you and protect you from that first drink.