The hard drinker

[nandm]

Then we have a certain type of hard drinker. He may have the habit badly enough to gradually impair him physically and mentally. It may cause him to die a few years before his time. If a sufficiently strong reason----ill health, falling in love, change in environment, or the warning of a doctor, becomes operative, this man can also stop or moderate, although he may find it difficult and troublesome and may even need medical attention. From the chapter "There Is A Solution" in the Big Book

Am I a moderate drinker? Can I take it or leave it alone with sufficient reason? When I stop does my mind continue to think about when I might drink again or am I able to go on with my life without the obsession to drink?

[nandm]

I think that for me I quickly moved from moderate drinker through the hard drinker phase right into alcoholism. In fact I think the moderate and hard drinker phases overlapped each other and went directly into alcoholism by the time I reached 21 years of age. I had developed the craving for alcohol. I had started centering my life around activities that gave me excuses to drink. I was unable to stop for any real length of time and when I did stop my mind would be thinking and planning when I would drink again.