Like others, I tired moderation over the years. It didn't work, although I wanted desperately for it to work. For me, what has worked so far (and I'm new at this, a bit over three months) is to 1) commit to never picking up a drink again, no matter what ;2) make an action plan as to what I'm going to do when I feel like picking up a drink (stress and anger are my two big triggers); 3) plan ways, big and small, to take care of myself, so I'm not tempted to drink to numb or check out.
I'm not sure if I was ready in any kind of existential way when I quit: I have had for years an embryonic awareness that my drinking was a problem. I was tired of sleeping poorly and feeling anxious (the latter was caused primarily by my drinking, although I was drinking to try to ameliorate anxiety too). I see it as one of those fake it until we make it moments.Kind of like what we do when we have to do other things that maybe we're anxious about starting. The beauty of sobriety is that it feels so good after awhile and sticking with it is its own reward.
Sending you positive thoughts.