I tried also to moderate and tried all the tricks... drink only on X days, pouring out the drinks and then putting the rest of the bottle in the attic so I would not drink anymore than the number of drinks I poured. Rationalizing everything... I am not a mean drunk, I am not on the streets, I am not hurting anyone but myself, blah blah blah. The amount of mental and emotional energy I put into this was staggering - no pun intended
Finally I just said, f*** it, just STOP and I finally did. I am using that energy for other things now.