Greta Van Fleet Imagines

falling off the wagon-jmk

We just went over how to work with people who are in NA or AA and I was inspired.

Warnings: addiction, alcoholism, vomit

"Josh, I don't know if I should go."

"Y/N, you've canceled twice already." He shuffled back to you. "Close my earring please?"

You snapped it shut, sighing. "It's at that bar and I'm second guessing myself."

Josh picked up your sobriety chips, the two that meant the most to you, and placed them into your palm. He pressed them down, leaving an imprint in your hand. "I'm not telling you what to do, darling, but you've done the work. You go out with us. If you feel bad or start to feel like you can't do it, call me."

You took a deep breath. "I promise that I will call you."

You'd been completely sober for a little bit over two solid years. As an alcoholic, you were good at avoiding your poison. You stopped going to bars and would pull waitresses aside to ask them to seat you away from the bar and to double check that your drinks were alcohol-free. It was a little embarrassing at first, to have to drop out of hangouts and parties because your social circle was full of heavy drinkers. You felt lonely in the world, isolated from your friends. Then, like a ray of sunshine, you ran into Josh at a grocery store. Your hands both reached for the last box of cake mix on the shelf. He talked quickly, begging for the box because he forgot his mother's birthday and it was too late to buy a gift and he wanted to do something personal, and chocolate is her favorite cake mix. You were immediately enamored with him. Despite promising to bring chocolate cake to the work potluck, you settled for vanilla.

Once you met Josh, your self-control was tested. On your first date, he took you to a bar. You shuffled uncomfortable for most of the date. He took notice, seeing how your eyes jumped side to side and you were jumpy. He offered to end the date early. Through light tears, you begged him to keep the night going, just somewhere else. Josh complied happily, rather taking you for a stroll around the city so you could catch your breath.

When you made it past two months of seeing him weekly, you felt secure with his habits and going to the places he liked to. Neither he nor his brothers made a big deal about staying sober. You didn't have to explain yourself or your situation, but a part of you couldn't help but wonder if Josh told them at some point. Josh was a little sad, but he pulled back how much he drank when you were around, and you were thankful for the little things.

During the height of your addiction, you needed alcohol to make it through the day. You're a naturally anxious person, nitpicking at details until you couldn't breathe. There were dozens of presentations and meetings you had where you were hammered before lunchtime. Taking the first step of going to the AA meetings in a local church basement was a big one. It took almost three years for you to stop falling off the wagon every few months. The hardest fall you'd taken was the one where you woke up in an alley, covered in your half-digested dinner and with frostbitten toes.

You'd recently gotten a promotion and while you weren't a big fan of posting everything on Facebook, your mother did anyway. She made a long post about your accomplishments and her pride over raising such a strong daughter. Your old friends were in the city and wanted to see you, for congratulations of course, but they were hellbent on going out drinking. You'd been a party animal, fueled by drinks.

"Y/N!" Owen shouted, standing from the table, and pulling you over.

Christina, his wife, stood to greet you. The two of you had been in gym class together but were never really close. She and Owen were high school sweethearts. Owen was practically adopted by your aunt so the two of you spent a lot of time together. He was the one who first convinced you to drink. While you didn't really want to see him, his intentions were always pure.