KeyHeart

Lemme tell what: if you think that you may be able to manage alcohol safely in the future, then set a start date. That's what I'm doing: I'm on the wagon for 20 years. When I hit 60 and my little boy is a grown adult, I'll start being a social drinker. In the year 2033.

Caldus

Dreaming of being able to moderate drinking one day is the big fantasy of any alcoholic. It has taken me this long to finally get to a point where I am really OK with not having a drink today anyway. The cravings are nowhere near as strong as they used to be for me 7+ months ago. It is freeing to not have to be a prisoner of my own mind. No constant thoughts of whether I could go back out there ... whether I could control it this time, etc. etc. Trust me, I was craving it bad earlier on for sure. But just stick with sobriety. Things will get better! I'm glad I stuck it out.

fini

Can an alcoholic really become a moderate/ social drinker


not this one

and most people aren't once-a-week drinkers of a lot of beer, statistically speaking. sounds like you're talking about binges.

and, sigh, not every alcoholic goes on rto lose job, family, life.
there are quite a few of us who don't, which unfortunately often means we fool ourselves much longer that we don't have a real problem, because the consequences and reality are not that readily apparent.

PARROTHD52

No. Been there, done that. Its not the first drink thats a problem, its usually after number 12. Maybe fewer, maybe more.

ru12

Yes, some people (even problem drinkers) can learn to moderate. Most though seem to fail at it. Could I? Maybe. But I have no desire to put it to the test anymore. I like being sober. I like being present in the here and now. I like being awake.

Leadfoot

If we were to say that an alcoholic could become a social drinker we'd be saying that it was a matter of will power the whole time.

Rubysoho

I was 27 when I got sober last year. I still have days where I dream of being like my friends, and just drinking on occasion, and being able to control how much I drink. But I'm not like them. I tried to get sober when I was 20, and that idea got me to relapse after 3 months and I didn't try again until I was basically on my knees. If I try and drink socially again I can probably kiss goodbye to the next decade, before I (hopefully am able to) try again.
Speak to your GP. I didn't realise I was alcohol dependent or that I had done damage to my body until they did some tests. I was 27 I thought I was too young to have drinking related health problems, a damaged liver or to be an alcoholic. I can't describe to you how crushed I was when I got those results.
But now I'm 28 and if I stay sober I have my whole life ahead of me. Who knows where it will take me. But I know where drinking will take me.
Good luck!

Sudz No More

I was able to moderate for a few days or weeks but I always ended up obsessed with drinking again. If you can't get drinking out of your mind now do you think it will get less if you keep drinking?

Moderating is a bad idea for anyone who just thinks they are an Alcoholic. If it quacks like a Duck...

Valll

It is a very difficult question to answer as we are all different. My brother has been to hell and back and is now somewhere inbetween after having tried moderation and failed miserably.

I do however think that sometimes, as it so hard to define, that alcoholism is very confusing. For the philosophical souls this may be useful:

"Some critics of the disease model, argue alcoholism is a choice, not a disease, and stripping alcohol abusers of their choice, by applying the disease concept, is a threat to the health of the individual; the disease concept gives the abuser an excuse"

thisisme

No. Never again!

Boleo

Same here. I'll start being a social drinker in Y3K.