Do any of you know someone who quit for a while and then could manage drinking again?
 

Is this even possible? I mean I have heard failure stories about people who were sober and went back and lost it all....but anyone ever heard of the opposite?

I am very early in my sobriety but my mind is already like ahhhhh only drink at a summer festival or when I move away to go to school or something it will be a new area and I have been sober for a while so maybe I can keep myself in check and go to the bars and meet new people and have fun on the weekends and stuff.

My instincts tell me this is "slick" talking.....but I am just curious for discussion purposes

Never seen it work.. seen a lot try.

No, never seen it work. I tried, failed miserably.

I tried this and failed many times. I don't think an alcoholic can do this.

Nope, never seen it.

Nope. I tried it. I thought it worked for a while but nope. Alcohol brought to my knees.

No. My disease whispered sweet nothings in my ear, I listened and went on a 5 year road trip. I do know a fair number of people that went back out and never made it back.

I've tried it 6 time over the last few years... didn't work out. I may start out doing good for a few parties here and there. Next thing I knew I was hardcore all over again each time.

Haven't seen anyone who was an alcoholic ever go back to controlled drinking again.

Doesn't matter if anyone else has - I'm not gonna try it. ;)

I don't believe it's possible for an alcoholic to do this.

I believe this is your addiction trying to sweet-talk you. It happens to me periodically. It's a nice thought, but it's not realistic.

Never saw it.

I never paid any attention to any one elses drinking.

The first time I recall drinking too much was my first year in college, and I had a black out. I didn't drink much for a few years, then the drinking and problems started again my senior year. For a few years after college, I was more or less "managed" the alcohol in my life, but still could be surprised when I drank too much. I quit drinking when I was pregnant with my kids, then drank a little, not much for about 15 years. This might be considered the "like normal" people refer to. Then about 7 years ago, I started drinking on a regular basis again--and started to have black outs: one the first year, then two in one year a few years later, until I had 4 in one year (last one was last Oct.) That is really scary stuff/behavior.

Looking back over my life, each time my life has become unmanageable, alcohol was playing a roll in my day-to-day life.

It's pretty clear that I have no "talent" when it comes to alcohol: it gives me NOTHING, nothing, and only takes. "Managing" it for me means setting myself for pain and grief.

Thanks for a good post, MagicMan, I need to think through this so that I don't start listening to my "slick."

Yes,
I have seen people come to AA and get sucked in by the rhetoric that no one gets here by mistake. The truth is that anyone can get a DUI. A DUI does not make one an alcoholic. I have watched people through the years come into the room who were not alcoholics. Perhaps they made some bad decisions in life, or were just never shown how to drink responsibly, I don't know ( its not my business).

They eventually get bored with AA and move on. I know a woman who was in the rooms for 4 years and one day fessed up to me that AA was a place to make friends for her and that was it. She drinks today and claims she is alright, she got her BA in Accounting and purchased a home on her own. Doesn't sound like her life fell apart.

But that isn't the norm, I have also seen many come and go over the years and it gets worse and worse every time. Perhaps I am wrong, and maybe not qualified to diagnose them, but I think they are the alcoholics. The ones who either rested on their laurels or who never worked the program. I have done no scientific study, but in 19 1/2 years I have seen quite a few of them. I am sponsoring a man now who has been in and out of AA for 25 years and is just now working the steps. He has tried other methods, now he is trying AA.

Nope. It's just an excuse to start drinking again.

yeah

I read about them in the arrest reports and many of them being sent to prison all the time in my local paper :(

Interesting posts from all accounts....I was thinking about this at work last night and thought I would pitch it out there. (the topic of this discussion) Right now I feel it would be completely pointless for me to drink as I have not futhered my life one ioda since I have quit drinking due to the consequences of my past drinking choices. Sure my life is more managable right now and my finances are for the most part back in check....but I still have no license.

I just look forward to all the sober fun I am gunna have this summer when I have my license back and am released from the tentacles of the justice system. I really do believe once you get caught up it can sometimes get a lot worse before it gets better.....if you let it.

cunning baffling and powerful.. alcohol is to me. i have been beaten enough times to know..

I've heard of this, but never saw it first hand. It sounds credible, but it's not something I'd be able to pull off, let alone try.

People do seem to wind up here by mistake. They'll go to meetings and not work steps for years. I know what happened when I tried that.