Hi Ferrari
Originally Posted by
ferrari355 
If new posters are told an all or nothing approach is the only way forward this is not necessarily encouraging. Personally, I'm the kind of person that has to do things at my own pace. Perhaps this is partially why the lurkers prefer to lurk rather than join, because they're just not ready for abstinence yet.
Nobody is *told* that an all-or-nothing approach is the only way to go, just as nobody is *told* to get sober
The vast majority of SRites (I think I've invented a word!) are here to receive support for their personal shared goal of complete abstinence and recovery from addiction - that's the whole point of the site.
"Shared goal" is the key term, IMHO. When I joined SR, I had been sober for one day - if you feel like it, search my old threads, and you'll see that I slipped a few times since then. I wasn't berated, on the contrary, my peers were concerned and very encouraging because they knew that I *was* ready for abstinence - not only because I was a member of SR, but because I had clearly stated my goal.
Many members join the site before committing to abstinence - just as SR does not endorse drug/alcohol use, being sober is not a requisite for membership. Let's face it, if that were the case, I doubt we'd have thousands of members... upon registration, none of us encountered a breath analyser ;-) Seriously though, there are plenty of sites dedicated to moderation management, this isn't one of them.
Originally Posted by
ferrari355 My problem is I still like the taste of beer and 'a good beer buzz', as Sheryl Crowe's song put it.
I love Sheryl Crow. When she sobered up, she changed that lyric to "I love a good milk buzz early in the morning".
Originally Posted by
ferrari355 I am in a moderation phase albeit I still drink slightly more than I'm comfortable with (...) Long term goal is abstinence by the age of 40. I'm not ready for abstinence just yet (...) I don't post much, however, as given that I still drink I don't want to negatively impact on others' abstinence.
I do hope things work out for you - it sounds like you genuinely want abstinence, albeit long term. Once you've made that decision, you know where to find us. In the meantime, no one is preventing you from posting, as long as you follow the SR rules - it IS your life, after all
Take care =)