DriGuy

When I committed to never drinking again, there was a change in my psychological perception. I found permanent sobriety to be much easier than allowing for that occasional drink now and then. Yes, it's actually the easier softer way. The problem with "just one drink," is that it always led to another, which led to one more, and on and on. If you are an alcoholic, it's odd because finding it's easier to not drink at all than to have one on a special occasion is a surprising experience. It was something I never could have anticipated.

The cravings leave, but I still had that occasional thought that it would be nice to relax with a cold one after a good day's work, but that isn't craving to me. It's just an irrational thought, but I believe those irrational thoughts can be the death of sobriety. This is also supported by a book, Under the Influence, where the chemistry of alcoholism is explained. When a person enters the the alcoholic phase of drinking, the way his body disposes of the alcohol changes. Alcohol in the system produces a toxin that causes discomfort, and the only relief, which is brief by the way, is another drink. Normies don't experience this.

Sure the initial battle with cravings was a Hellish experience, but once you rid your mind of needing an occasional drink, you are on your way to real freedom. Congratulations on 6 months. From here on, it's just about thinking, or "playing the tape forward" as you put it.