ElegantlyWasted

Came across a post that mentioned moderation management. Thinking of trying it after a couple of months not drinking. Anyone have success with this? Any and all opinions welcome.

Dee74

I have no experience with it.

With my drinking history I'd have to be insane to consider ways to keep alcohol in my life.

I know that they require 30 days total abstinence to start off with.

D

Sapling

We really should have a forum here just for this topic.....Drinking like normal people.

Bikeguy

I'll be honest, alcohol scares me now. I know it wants to kill me so therefore moderation is not an option for me. I'm sure it may be possible for some but it seems like a big risk for those who have had problems with it in the past.

Sapling

If I drink one drink....I'm toast. I like knowing that.

vinepest

Why would you want to drink in moderation? When I drank, I almost always did so for one purpose: to get drunk. If by "moderation" you mean "only getting drunk once a month," or something like that, then you should be asking yourself why you want to get drunk in the first place. After all, getting drunk is terribly unhealthy, and carries with it significant moral, social and physical risk. Meanwhile, the supposed benefits are aimed at temporarily satisfying a craving at the cost of increasing that craving in the long-term.

So it certainly seems to me that the benefits (to the extent that we can even call it a "benefit" to satisfy one's unhealthy cravings) are far outweighed by the costs and risk factors. Given that this is the case, moderation of the sort mentioned doesn't seem like a worthwhile goal. Far better to just hang in there and wait for the cravings to disappear almost completely (which will happen if you only give it a few more months).

Terminally Unique

This idea, that if you are normal, you therefore must drink, is an inversion. The vast majority of people are not born with a bottle in their hands, and hundreds of millions of normal people simply don't drink for personal reasons.

Sapling

Yeah...And a lot of them can sit down and have two cocktails and leave the second one half full...I can't.

Terminally Unique

I always thought those people simply didn't know how to drink.

Terminally Unique

Sign up for their forum and read some posts. Think of it as free research, a safe learning experience.

choublak

LOL

That would be the most popular forum here.

All joking aside though, "normal people" (i.e., myself) are more or less INDIFFERENT about alcohol. Whoever has to invest virtually ALL of their time and energy in drinking "normally" or "moderately" is far from indifferent about drinking alcohol. And therein lies the complexity.

suki44883

Your post from yesterday:

I'm back
After drinking again for a little over a year, I am on day 2. Any suggestions for this go around?

I suggest you stop fooling yourself. Sorry to sound harsh, but you know you shouldn't drink at all. Why would you attempt moderation? Moderate drinkers don't have to attempt, they just naturally do. If you have to try to drink moderately, then you are not a moderate drinker. I think you probably know that but aren't yet ready to admit that you just should.not.drink.at.all.

suki44883

That would be like having a forum for bicycle riding for fish.

Jojo2012

I'm new to this website and have recently made some changes to my life. HUGE changes that I'm proud of. These changes involved alcohol but more importantly what was CAUSING my alcohol issues. I find it interesting that many people are quick to jump on the AA model of never drinking again ever. While I'm sure that is what some people must do, I wonder if it is what all should do. For me, my journey has been about taking back control of my life and realizing that I am the one in the driver's seat. I could sit back and blame alcohol for my problems over the past 8 years but I won't. I chose to drown, not address, my problems. I am now choosing to be in charge of my life now. I am taking responsibility for my choices. In doing so, it has made it easier for me to make clear-headed choices. I might chose to drink a glass of wine now or i might choose not to. Either way it is now MY choice. That is empowering to me. For me it has been like a light switch was turned on. I am in charge. I don't want to ruin my life, hurt my health or hurt others. I have a choice and I weigh the factors when making a choice these days. Tear me up or tear me down but I'm the captain of this ship and dang, it's so awesome!

sugarbear1

Read the real history of MM. Way too scary (deadly) in my opinion. Stay stopped!

Sapling

But this one would be full.

Sapling

How long have you been on this journey?

Zebra1275

I can't manage moderation.

DayTrader

Wiki backs up what I'd heard and read about the program:

Moderation_Management

Moderation Management was founded by Audrey Kishline, a problem drinker, who did not identify with the disease theory of alcoholism (as presented in Alcoholics Anonymous and other addiction recovery twelve-step programs) finding that it eroded her self-confidence. Kishline never experienced withdrawal symptoms and was able to hold a job and stay in school while drinking. Kishline found that she could moderate her drinking with the help of cognitive-behavioral therapy principles and in 1994 founded Moderation Management as an organization for non-dependent problem drinkers to help maintain moderate alcohol use. MM maintains, however, that it is not for all problem drinkers; that there are some drinkers for whom abstinence will be the only solution.[1]

In January 2000 Kishline posted a message to an official MM email list stating that she had concluded her best drinking goal was abstinence and that she would begin attending Alcoholics Anonymous, SMART Recovery and Women For Sobriety meetings while continuing to support MM for others.[2] Having never ceased her excessive drinking, while attending Alcohol Anonymous[2], in March 2000 she drove her truck the wrong way down a highway, and hit another vehicle head-on killing its two passengers (a father and his 12 year old daughter). MM continued to grow during Kishline's time in prison.[1] She was released in August 2003 after serving 3½ years of her 4½ year sentence.[3][page needed][neutrality is disputed]

Active membership is estimated at about 500 people

MM members mostly describe themselves as being non-dependent problem drinkers. In general, MM members report having a mild history of substance-abuse problems before joining, with 40% having consumed four or fewer drinks per drinking day and less than 10% experienced serious withdrawal symptoms or comorbid drug abuse.

davaidavai

I too do not understand moderate drinking. I simply don't get it. It doesn't taste great. I mean, let's be serious: those vodka martinis were fantastic, and would be still if you could maintain a perpetual vodka high without the consequences that render the beverage disgusting. So, it's good if you can sustain impossible fantasy drinking, but you can't, and so in the end it's just disgusting. And looking at it from a strictly a childlike vantage, it quite literally tastes and smells like gas, like something you 'throw' on a dirty bathroom tile. So, it's only worthwhile when lost in the alcoholic haze.

But sober? Two drinks? Risk getting back on the hamster wheel?

So, I guess then drinking in moderation is an exercise in sheer 'monkey see monkey do.' You want to have a couple because the 'others' are doing it.

"Might as well polish it off," said the pretty bartender to the dude.

"Duh, OK!" said the dude, forking over another 8 bucks for a sliver of bourbon: one of those candied varieties that come in squat bottles designed to appeal to hipsters.

Or better yet, here, let's taste this tart wine because it's sophisticated to stand around holding wine.

It's as if the only escape from the banality of two drinks is ten more.

And at the end of the day, isn't it really all about the olives? Give me olives, Pandora radio and isolation.