Originally Posted by
kittencat 
At first I only drank to have a good time in social settings but when I started drinking wine to cope (while alone at home no less!) I realized I had a problem. I took some online quiz of the 'are you an alcoholic?' variety and it said I had a drinking problem. Drinking alone and using alcohol as a coping mechanism? Check and check. Once I read that I began to feel shame, anxiety and disappointment in myself every time I drank. That little bit of knowledge took the fun away.
I tried moderating, didn't work. I've been sober for the majority of the last few years but sooner or later would slip again. I'm here for good now
This was more or less my story. It was fun, started to change into a coping mechanism, drank far too much, it caused problems, tried to moderate and that didn't work (cycled a few times here), finally worked out that permanent sobriety was the only solution.