EternalQ

Moderation is NOT an option for me, because:

Because the only way for me to learn new ways to cope, was to quit alcohol totally. If it is never an option, then I am forced to change.

Because once I start, within a short time, I cannot stop.

Because it is more of a relief to just ban it totally than to keep track of my use. Tracking my use is still making it the "center of my life."

Because alcohol has changed my brain and my brain cannot moderate it now.

Because I lost ten+ years of my life to alcohol. Why would I ever trust it again?

What about you?

stairs

Moderation is not an option for me because with moderation comes counting drinks, planning my next time to drink, noticing how I really do not enjoy just a few drinks, getting a headache from just a few drinks.
With moderation comes obsession and then as soon as I find sufficient excuse whether it be people, places or things, that affect me in some way whether it be good or bad, the obsession becomes compulsion and next thing I know I am drunk and off on another bender.

hypochondriac

Moderation is not an option for me, because:

a) I'm not very good at it.

b) Even when I managed to get my drinking down to a glass of wine a night I was miserable. It was hard to not drink more and I was still caught in the addiction trap.

c) I don't have to drink.

tara8888

Moderation is not an option for me because I tried it over 1,000 times and it always led to over-drinking and trouble. Is is time I learned from the past!

The easiest guaranteed way never to have more trouble associated with drinking is to never take that first drink.

Tara

MIRecovery

I tried to drink like other people for 30 years but it never worked. Exhausted every avenue I could think. I was always led back to drinking at or above what I had been drinking before

I now know alchohol wants me dead but not before it destroys everything and everybody I value.

Jeni26

I simply can't do it!!

Misguided

-I'm too scared to take that long, hard road back to hell

-If I have to actually think about it, I'm putting too much effort and giving control back to the liquor

-I haven't found a true purpose for drinking alcohol but I have found more than one reason to stay sober

SDSurfn

This.

bloss

Many years ago, I tried to moderate my drinking. I realized it wasn't working, so I decided to stop entirely, but still I could not stop drinking. Why did I still drink? Depends on who you ask. All I know is for today, I am sober. I don't have to try moderation anymore, thank goodness.

FreeFall

Moderation is not an option for me because I drank to get drunk. I have no off switch so "one or two" always led to more. If I drank only on special occasions I would making up new holidays so I could drink

Mark75

I am happy now, I can not think of any reason why I would be happier and I believe that moderate drinking is not something I can reliably do, and since I don't want to anyway....

justhadenough

I've never seen the point of having 1 or 2-the more I drink the more I want. Moderation isn't me. All or nothing

SDSurfn

Also this.

Hexipuff

because I am an alcoholic plain and simply that

NewHouse2012

Can't have one or two. Hangovers and emotional issues that followed for days is just not worth it.

Admiral

I CAN moderate, I've done it before, but it's definitely not a good experience. Once I start drinking I want more and usually don't stop until I am on the border of being sick. If I choose to have just one drink the nagging feeling becomes overwhelming and I get agitated, why put up with that?

I cannot drink in moderation because it causes a great deal of stress and I have a difficult time stopping.

If I drink I'll want to use other drugs as well, how much alcohol does it take to trigger that? I don't know and I don't intend to find out.

I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, I form a vision of how something should be and it HAS to be that way. I don't want to drink in moderation, I don't want to take a single shot or have a beer ever again, not even cold medicine that has alcohol. Anything other than that feels like it has tainted my recovery and I know it would upset me, so no moderation for me, not even a drop.

pipparina

that is not how I ever liked to drink, so why even try. Sounds awfully painful to me.

HitRockBottom70

Moderation is not for me because

I kept changing the rules.
I became a liar and lost faith in myself.
It ALWAYS got worse after a few months.
Finally, it almost took everything from me, even my will to live.

Thanks to this site and the wonderful people on it, I have not "moderated" for more than 5 months. I can feel and I am living life. I will Never try to moderate again.

Purplecatlover

it is torture. I'd rather have none than try to placate my addiction with a couple.
And it took just as much energy, time, etc & was NOT filling the void.

dogmamma

This was me all day. My definition of "moderate" was all relative to how much I wanted to drink. I can't be trusted to moderate and I am stressed out from having to manage alcohol. If there isn't any, then there are no issues. Well, I mean all the issues that made me drink to begin with...but no additional issues!