Originally Posted by
Hodd 
It seems illogical that an ex-drinker like me can’t have “just the one”.
It does seem logical, but when you test this thought using the rules of logic, there is nothing logical about it. In this case, there is no personal experience or impartial data to verify this claim. But this false belief is helped along by the actual fact that we feel so convincingly well after a period of long abstinence. Our AV uses this to implant the idea that this is a logical thought, when it's not.
What we do have at our disposal is a huge library of the experience of others who have bought into the fallacy and failed. As much as I try to live my life logically, alcoholism forces me to make an exception, and I have to depend on information and the experience of others, either from what they tell me, or by observing their success, and of course, their failures. This is a rare situation where we have to rely on trust, or alternatively we have to touch the hot stove one too many times to create our own personal data inventory to guide us. I was lucky enough to rely on the collective wisdom of others, and decided I didn't have to validate the information on my own.
I always enjoy reading your thoughts on the subject. They make me think. Congratulations on 3 years. Congratulations on getting well.