Also not trying to start any wars, but in response to Tazman's story - I'm sure that is true for that person, and you hear stories like this in AA all the time. But, the other side might also be true, but those stories don't get told. For example, I have a very good friend who was in AA for 8 years of so, mostly for substance, but didn't drink either. A year or two ago she decided that she can drink. And she has been, as far as I can tell there have been no negative consequences.
Maybe it's because she was in AA for mostly drug issues, or maybe it is that some people can not just moderate, but enjoy the moderation. To me personally, right now, i know this is not possible. I had a most stressful day today, which involved standing in a queue for 4 hours to get on the Eurostar to Paris to see my ex in-laws for christmas. And I was thinking, about 7 hours into the journey, how nice a glass of wine would be when I got here. I didn't drink the wine, and now, thinking about it, I really didn't want one glass of wine, but to gulp the first one down and drink as many as I could.
So, all I am saying, is while the policy of moderation would not work for me obviously right now, and I would always be wanting more, I can also see that it might be possible in time where that could be. And there must be some people who this works for. I think you would not hear about those cases though, because it is not such a good story.
Thanks for listening and happy Christmas.