Originally Posted by
MindfulMan 
Making an "unbreakable" promise sounds like giving yourself an ultimatum. And we know how people react to ultimatums. Anger and contrary behavior. It's a step away from "You'd better not drink again, or..." Or what?
I think “how people react” can now include more mature and adult responses instead of “anger and contrary behavior”.
Originally Posted by MindfulMan
I can't imagine any situation where drinking would ever be a positive force in my life, or at the very least one that wouldn't be dwarfed by the negative consequences of addiction.
When certain negative consequences of drunkenness cause the family, employer, and/or local judicial body to get involved and demand accountability from the drunkard, that involvement is often thought of by the drunkard as being simply an additional negative consequence on top of the initiating one.
That’s how I thought when I used to drink, even between my binges, because of 2 reasons: I was still trying to figure out how to drink and stay out of trouble, and I knew recovery in our society was endless and stigmatized.
But I no longer see it as having to be an “additional negative consequence”. I now consider that the involvement of my family, boss, and/or local court can be a caring, judicious, even loving paying attention, treating me with respect and decency as a competent adult seeking from me accountability, trust, and normalcy as a common teetotaler.
Yes, in my mind “You’d better not drink again, or else...” can be the most caring, judicious, and loving involvement any authority can take in response to a damaging drunken spree by a dependent drinker.
Originally Posted by MindfulMan
It's a subtle difference. I pretty much know that I will never drink or use cocaine again.
When I took out the “pretty much” I became even happier.