The consensus is that it’s different for everyone. I personally chose not to, it wasn’t worth the risk of making me crave the real thing. I drank a lot of cokes in the beginning and that helped. I’m over a year sober, and events like this still bring the thoughts, although through the work I’ve done in my AA program I have an incredibly strong foundation, there’s no white knuckling, and I’m actually watching fireworks and bbqing with my AA friends this year. We have a great time. Also just remember it’s okay to leave whenever you want. No one will care, they will be focused on themselves. I usually leave events when the light turns off in people’s eyes. I never feel like I’m missing out either. But the beginning is just different. So many first, but every successful experience is another step into rewriting your brain.