Originally Posted by
clara73 
I'm... very newly sober, but as a binge drinker have gone through periods of sobriety before. Does anyone think it's possible for us to "drink like normal" at some point, to learn moderation? Can we have champagne at a wedding, or is it a never again thing?
The champagne thing is a good question I’ve often thought about, although I was never into champagne and wonder how people get a taste for it. I’m coming up to 1000 days sober, and I reckon if I had a glass of champagne out of politeness or whatever reason, I’d probably be OK that day (that’s just me, others would have several more). The next evening, though, I’d get cravings for a drink. All ex-drinkers get some periodic cravings, but my post-champagne craving would be way stronger. At the very least, I’d spend a few uncomfortable weeks withdrawing from that feeling, but the statistics show I’d probably relapse and end up as my former sorry self.
Our brain chemistry and pathways have been irreversibly altered by years of drinking, and this is the really bad news as we’re almost programmed to relapse. With that in mind, that glass of champagne is very likely to have catastrophic consequences. It’s my worst nightmare to return to drinking - it should be the worst nightmare of anyone reading this - and avoiding that first drink is the only way to keep the great life an ex-drinker can have 🙂