Originally Posted by
freethinking 
This was me. And every time I would relapse after months of sobriety I would say "I have no idea what happened. I was having no urges at all and then bam - had a fleeting thought one day, went into autopilot and got drunk".
Someone suggested I tempt myself - at first thought I deemed this a stupid and dangerous idea. But after thinking it over, it made sense. By doing so, I was able to bring out some desire, observe it and then deal with it. Prior to being able to do this and claiming I had no desire...I look back now and feel I was on very dangerous ground.
Hi freethinking,
I went about quitting drinking in a little different way than most, and in a way that may not be a good idea for many. Most of the regulars here have already heard me talk about "The Cold Duck Method" of quitting drinking.
Cold Duck was my DOC for many years, which started as a special indulgence on anniversaries and later became a two bottle a night "celebration". Every night I would buy a bottle on the way home planning to drink one, then I'd go back out and get the second (always had a plan for ONE, but rarely succeeded).
One night I decided "I'm not going to drink", but I bought the bottle anyway, "just in case". I ate, and I looked at the bottle in the fridge, and didn't drink it. I knew it was there, so I felt safe.
I decided to try it a second night. Eat. Look at bottle. Don't drink it. Okay. Safe.
I repeated the motions over and over, and the "safe" feeling I had from the cold duck in fridge actually helped me not to drink it. I knew I COULD drink it, even if I panicked in the middle of the night. Of course, I could have gone and bought ANY drink I wanted at the store, which was a few blocks away. But I could go in and look at THAT one without even having to put on my clothes.
The bottle stayed there, and I never drank again. That was a long time ago, and I can't remember what happened to the bottle, but I figure my husband must have eventually given it away -- I doubt he would have thrown out a "perfectly good" bottle of alcohol, since he was a drinker, too. He quit soon after I did, but he could never leave a gallon of Carlo Rossi in the house, because he WOULD have drunk it.
Just a story. Just my way. But I think of this whenever people discuss avoidance. I realize you weren't talking specifically about "avoidance", but to me the thought of being blindsided by sudden urges to drink brings to mind sudden impulse perhaps secondary to sudden availability -- out of sight, out of mind, so to speak. I guess that maybe, for me, I needed to do it "The Cold Duck Method" way, because my profession involves LOTS of celebrations with champagne, and I knew I'd have to get over it quickly.
FT