Originally Posted by
Charliem 
In discussion with some medical friends the question was asked that if someone has a problem with excessive alchol intake, is it possible for them to regulated their intake, or should they stop completely?
I suppose this has to be a individual thing with many factors coming into play. I know that some folks have an all or nothing approach, there are no grey areas, there is no degree of the disease/addiction. Like you are either pregnant or not...no one can be slightly pregnant!!! However many people say that it is possible to set limits and stick to them.
My little voice is busy! Anyone want to share their thoughts on this?
Hi Charlie, and welcome. The only dumb questions are those not asked.
AA literature describes alcoholism as an allergy of the body and an obsession of the mind. The alcoholic process the substance maladptively, and the biochemical reaction is that one drink calls for another....loss of control. The obsession to drink is what, despite our track record, convinces us that THIS time it'll be different.
I was addicted to alcohol. I don't believe I had "the allergy," but I certainly became alcohol dependent...just as addicts become drug dependent. Booze was my solution...my get out of pain free card. When I didn't drink I felt miserable, and I was unable to stop until I felt even more miserable when I did drink. Even then, the obsession drove me to continue to try it over and over again for several years....always unsuccessfully in the long run.
In the short run, the worst thing i was able to do was have one drink successfully, which set off that insane voice in my head that could now claim I wasn't an alcoholic, and could drink in safety. Turned out that the only real difference is it took me longer to completely lose control. Instead of shutting the bar down after my first drink, it took me several weeks of ever escalating drinking to return to that total loss of control.
And alcoholics are notorious for being able to stop completely, often for long periods of time: because the trigger is that first drink. So the solution is IMO total abstinence.
I had to find something else I could use to feel good (we often turn to things like food, work, relationships, sex, pornography, gambling, etc). I finally turned to AA, which provided me with a roadmap to a spiritual awakening and the abililty to feel very good indeed....without depending on outside substances or processes.
I often wonder how I ever had a doubt whether or not I should cease putting toxic substances into my body. Self destruction is IMO a pretty good indication of insanity.
blessings
zenbear