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Methods to control drinking We have tried every imaginable remedy. In some instances there has been brief recovery, followed always by still worse relapse. Physicians who are familiar with alcoholism agree there is no such thing as making a normal drinker out of an alcoholic. Science may one day accomplish this, but it evidently hasn't done so yet. Despite all we can say, may who are real alcoholics are not going to believe they are in that class. By every form of self-deception and experimentation, they will try to prove themselves exceptions to the rule, therefore non-alcoholic. If anyone, who is showing inability to control his drinking, can do the right-about-face and drink like a gentleman, our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard enough and long enough to drink like other people. Here are some of the methods we have tried: drinking beer only, limiting the number of drinks, never drinking alone, never drinking in the morning, drinking only at home, never having it in the house, never drinking during business hours, drinking only at parties, switching from scotch to brandy, drinking only natural wines, agreeing to resign if ever drunk on the job, taking a trip, not taking a trip, swearing off forever (with and without a solemn oath), taking more physical exercise, reading inspirational books, going to health farms and sanitariums, accepting voluntary commitment to asylums--we could increase the list ad infinitum. How many of our own methods have we tried? How did they work? For how long did they work? People who are not alcoholic do not devise methods to control their drinking. People who are not alcoholic can always control the amount they drink. This is a good test to determine if we are alcoholic. If you suspect you are an alcoholic please take a moment to look through the recovery programs listed on this link. There is help for your problem, many of us are living proof that we do not have to die an alcoholic death. There is hope. http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-programs.html The above quote was taken from The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. The authors are not abolitionists or reformers, they are merely people who have faced the same problem we face and have tried the same sort of things we have tried to control their drinking. |
By every form of self-deception and experimentation, they will try to prove themselves exceptions to the rule, therefore non-alcoholic. If anyone, who is showing inability to control his drinking, can do the right-about-face and drink like a gentleman, our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard enough and long enough to drink like other people. |
Originally Posted by GarryW
(Post 1619211)
Acceptance is the key, eh? |
:) My experience? I quit drinking my favorite types of alcohol Switched to one I detested. After the 3rd drink...I didn't mind. For me....it was the high not the type of toxin. With with help of God and AA I no longer poison myself...:approve: |
One of my favorite sayings with regard to "controlled drinking" is, "Once you try to control it, you're already out of control." My own personal method: I would save the stirrers/straws on the bar, so that I could keep track of the number of drinks. I knew four was the magic number...and, if I kept on after that, it was downhill all the way. But, I would still insist that the bartender leave the mixers...by the end of some nights, I had accumulated enough to play a game of Pick Up Sticks!!! |
I never tried to control it as I never had a problem. DENIAL |
:Dance7: |
I tried controlled drinking (over & over). I had to be that cool guy in the blues bar wearing a leather jacket with a beer in my hand :cool:. Life wouldn't be complete without it! It was misery. Now that I think about it, I bet I looked kind of constipated :wzbigcry:! |
bump |
well, i started to buy alcohol every day. i tried to hold off as long as possible. it was more economical for me to buy 30 racks of bud, but i found that i would just plow through that case as fast as i could, end up drinking in the morning, etc etc. so with the daily trips to the liquor store at least i could contain the amount i could drink, but it slowly started to creep up. 6 pints became 6 pints and a 40oz, then a 12 pack of 12 ozs and a 40oz, and etc. i also got into a vodka phase but switched to beer, as i started to barely even taste the vodka in the orange juice... but those are memories now, and it's tea for me :) |
I thought 'controlled drinking' was being able to control your speech, control your temper and impulses, your walk to the restroom, your bar tab ... ... while all the while drinking as much as possible. |
I'm with Barb on this. I thought control meant I could walk to the bathroom in a straight line. I thought it meant controlling all the aspects of my life. All the things I had to do. It never occurred to me that it might be easier to control if I wasn't in the bar trying to live my life on the phone before I got too drunk to ring anyone. It really never occurred to me that my problem was the drink. Kev - I am the same as you too. Denial. I think what helped me in my deep denial was that I was completely surrounded by alcoholics by the time I hit bottom. I remember a long time before the end wondering if I should try to cut back. I remember the time of day and exactly where I was when I had my first "maybe I should be careful how much I drink today" thought. It gave me a fright so I buried it with booze. 15 years later here I am. |
When I drink it is always controlled drinking - in the sense that it controls me. |
Barb that was to Funny.:rotfxko I thought, if I made it through the day without someone mad at me, I was doing good. |
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