KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- She just turned down another holiday invitation the other day, this one for an end-of-the-year party at a local brewery, because sometimes when Courtney Lewis is mingling at a business function where brews and spirits are being served, the earthy, buttery, sugary aromas spark a strong physical reaction: She wants to drink.
She used to love a really good mixed drink. Whiskey and Coke. Craft cocktails and shots, too. But Lewis is just days away from being sober eight years and has the Alcoholics Anonymous milestone chips to prove it.
In social settings like that, “you’re just trying to keep yourself calm and present in a room where you can’t relax,” she said. “Those events are meant for people to relax, but I can’t if I’m at a winery and all I’m doing is smelling the wine and white-knuckling it.”
