karate

You might very well moderate for a day , or a week .

But if drinking is carried on , moderation will not work .

If moderation works , then you don't have a problem .

Clearly I do , and attempted moderating many times , zero sucess .

MaidenNZ

"How does this moderation thing go"?

BADLY...

MrTumble

You will be right back where you started, wanting to quit, but now with a hangover, with guilt, depression from failing and also whatever consequences you created when drunk (these of course can be very wide ranging).

i fall into this trap of thinking im ok after 3-4 months, and end up drinking... Each time i do it, i get very upset with myself and it takes weeks to drag myself out of feeling despondent.

I feel good sober, I bet you do the same, so why take this journey again? Its madness.

LadyinBC

We plan our relapses way before they happen. What your feeling really isn't that uncommon and sometimes happens when we get to milestones. Or time passes and we get that kind of stinky thinking again.

Now is the time to kind of sit back and take stock on why you quit drinking to begin with. You are not the only one who has thought that "hey yes I can moderate", but knows deep down they can't. All of us I'm sure have thought this at one point. It still creeps into my mind every once in awhile.

These feelings use to really scare me in the beginning, however, now I try to embrace them in a way because it is a reminder of where I came from and how far I have come. I also know that I no longer have to act on these feelings, I can let them pass. And so can you .

haribo158

For me, moderation always ended up with one night me getting wasted. And in my experience, it only takes 1 night to completely and utterly ruin your life.

kflee

Quote:

Originally Posted by silentrun

I told my husband about it. Warned him of all the BS I might throw his way (special occasion, I can handle it yadyadayada) I signed a piece of paper saying put me in treatment if I use again. He still doesn't believe I'm an alcoholic. I don't plan on proving it to him.
If I hadn't used in May I would be about due for my 1 year PAWS episode.

That is good you told hubby. Mine does not really think I was that bad of a drinker. He supports me and knows its no joke, but I was pretty good at functioning alcoholic. I always got things done, ran our business, worked as Chiropractor, mother of 2, wife and cook and not angry drunk. Just loud and obnoxious. But I was dying on the inside, as I realize now.
But just want to say I agree and don't intend on proving to my husband either. Thats not why I am doing this.
Good job on making it till now...Hope you get over the February hump. Don't give in and feel like ick, instead fight that urge and do a dance

LadyBlue0527

Silly AV! At least that's what I say when it comes lurking and then I do this:





Do you see what's happening in that quote? You're coming up on what would have been a year so the AV is lurking. It doesn't care that it isn't going to be a year only that it would have been a year. Next, it sounds like it's reminding you that at one year there will be a PAWS episode. Be prepared in the event that there is but don't expect it. Expect it and it will definitely happen.

What you believe will be.

10 months is awesome! That's a lot of hard work and diligence. Now, grab that chair and start smashing You know what those moderation thoughts are all about and you already know it's a lie, one big, fat lie. I'm glad that you posted!

teetotaler1

The biggest challenge for me is feeling good sober. It then translates into thinking I would feel better drunk. If I am feeling less good, in a strange way, I am less interested in picking up. Baffling, but true.

What is a one year PAWS incident?

DoPerdition

I have never tried moderation because my alcoholic self just can't see the point of one or two drinks. If I drink, I always go all out. If I am all or nothing about drinking I feel I must be all or nothing about sobriety.

I won't even try it. The only times I ever "moderated" my drinking was because I had to due to the circumstances. Otherwise I always drank until that one drink that made me go "uh oh, I'm hammered." By then it was always too late and I spend days after sick in bed.

thisisme

The great thing about these forums is we can learn from others without going there. I have never moderated but I can say from thousands of post I have read that your attempt will fail.

fini

silentrun,
when i occasionally have those kinds of thoughts pop in my head, i consider them part of the alcoholic craziness. wow! i think, that stuff is still there playing in the background..then i spend some time looking at what was going on with me before that thought popped up, and usually find i was in some kind of angry or dissatisfied place.

i think of these occasional crazy thoughts as a kind of knee-jerk reflex/reaction. they are from me, but in no way indicate i want to drink or try moderating or any such nonsense.

karate

I think we all "think " that , until convinced otherwise .

I'm convinced otherwise .

I look at it this way , if the worst thing that ever happens is I can't drink.
I'm still living a good life .