Huglets

Moderation for me?? Absolutely not. Tried that and failed.

If you're an alcoholic, you cannot moderate. Sure, it might work for a small while, but it will roar back fiercer than before. Trust me.....went there and am suffering severe consequences including the loss of my job.

Stick with a sober life. It's so much more rewarding than any drink.

Gringo

This.

MalkavianEmily

I think I don't want to find out. Actually, I know I don't.
What is 'moderate drinking' anyway? The last time I thought about it, I decided 'if you can stop after one day, that's moderation.'
Do I want to have one pint of 'normal' strength beer tomorrow, and leave it at that? No. I don't think I do. I've tried that one in recovery. It's no fun. It's pointless. And if I can't drink what I'd like to, how I'd like to, I might as well not bother...

phoebe64

The people who can successfully moderate do not need to spend time here. so, we would never really know. In real life, I do know very many previously heavy drinkers who only drink moderately now. Do I know what internal dialogue they have to do so? No.

I know I successfully moderated for a year. But, I slowly fell into more frequent drinking and a larger quantity to get the feeling I wanted. I stopped before it went further than that. It has gone far enough to create permanent changes in my health.

What is healthy moderate drinking, anyway? Oh, I know the recommended numbers, but really? What is healthy about it?

chiffonade

The problem is one drink builds confidence in my ability to 'casually' drink. So then after a month of 1 drink nights, the next month I'll drink 2. Then the next month I'll drink 3... then 4... then I'm cleaning puke out of the rugs at 3am.

Coldfusion

Alcoholics can't take just one drink.

TacoDude

At one point drinking one or two drinks was not only possible for me, I did it often. However, I passed that point long ago. What is the point of having one or two when I could have 8 or 10?

RobbyRobot

I think making use of your present unawareness of not having more desire during last night and into today is not the best way to move forward if you have a history of being a problem drinker.

Your personal desire was of course, already satisfied. Your "testing" results please you. You're personally satisfied. A chronic alcoholic, like myself, would also be personally satisfied with drinking in comfort if i could actually do it.

However, it is important to know that addiction desire is a completely different experience then is simply being satisfied with ourselves.

Addiction desire is NEVER in itself satisfied, and this is why in part addictions are so horrendous and destructive. An addictive desire has no stop button. Its always outta control. More is never enough. Even when I was pounding 40oz vodkas, I still could not satisfy my addictive desires. I though, was way past wanting more, you know? Already drunk outta my mind, I was still drinking because of addiction ambivelance in action, and not because I wasn't satisfied. I was being taking for a ride like a born sucker, no less.

Hey, its the results of not easily stopping alcoholic drinking that is the real problem, not desire. Desire is ALWAYS secondary to the real deal.

Is moderated drinking possible for past problem drinkers?

The answer is unknown, because the question is misleading. Problem drinkers are already moderating their alcoholic intake, truth be told. Its what defines them as problem drinkers, when the moderation fails enough times, and this leads into more problem drinking.

Realistic?

Realism is a wholly experiential learning journey and process. Realism is entirely dependent on the observer, relatively speaking. We all see things just that little bit differently...

So, for me, I think a return to drinking comfortably, over an extended time, is an unrealistic and impossible experience for me to ever have. As for others, I would never say, try it and find out. Like I said, problem drinkers were already into moderation before they quit. Moderation wasn't working enough then, why believe it work work differently any other time, yeah?

ultrabunny

Im with everyone else on this...if I could be a moderate drinker I wouldnt keep trying to stop every other week!

I can be a 'normal' drinker for a few days..sometimes even a week but it ALWAYS comes and bites me me on the ass in the end.

Btw. my ass is gonna be quite large soon if I dont stop eating everything I can lay my hands on!!!!

duane1

I know I can't. Even without drinking for 7 months, my alcohol addiction is still trying to manipulate my mind into drinking.

instant

I am sure I could do that too. I am also sure I cannot sustain it for the long term.

Attempting moderation is very hard work, "unfulfilling" (the core problem) and is a drain on mental and emotional resources that could be put to better use

legna

As an active alcoholic/addict, I would go to any lengths in order to drink.

If I believed, at any level, that if I could go to a party and have one or two and wake up the next morning without any desire to have another one - then that is exactly what I would do: I would go to the party, have one or two. Leave the party and go home, go to sleep and wake up and the first thought on my mind would be how much I didn't want another drink and so - I must be okay and can moderate my drinking after all.

As a young child I thought I might be able to fly if I only tried hard enough and so I jumped off a shed. Didn't work and I got a few bruises for my efforts. Being a tad hardheaded, I tried a tree next. Also didn't work; also got banged up. And then, remarkably, I quit trying to make it work. It never occurred to me that after a period of not trying to fly that I should try again. If it did, it might indicate a problem.

Hevyn

Over decades of trying, it was impossible for me to control the outcome when I took that first drink. No matter how determined I was, or how much willpower I summoned up. Unpredictable and dangerous things happen when alcohol enters my system.

escapist

I think it's ok for people who are not alcoholics.

I am an alcoholic. I have tried everything.
The last time I thought I could just drink a couple turned into a four year stupor. It has taken over two months of abstaining for me to feel normal again.

TheEnd

To answer your question, for some it is possible. I actually know of a few, but they have to be so strict in their rules and guidelines, that it looks like a miserable existence. Why put myself through that, just to drink alcohol? Instead why not try to get to a point where you don't need or care about alcohol. That's where I'm at and it's just fantastic. My happiness no longer depends on how many drugs I take or how much I drink. I'm free from that life and you can be too!

choublak

These threads never seem to "get old"...

SoberMarathon

Guys and gals...thank you all for sharing your personal experiences on this topic!! This dialogue has been quite helpful in terms of research. The consensus is a big NO to moderation protocols. I truly appreciate the advice and will definitely learn from it.

Boleo

Depends on what you call a "problem drinker? If you are talking about those with just alcohol-ISSUES? Yes, it's possible.

For those with alcohol-ISM? Once you are pickle, there is no going back to being a cucumber.

raja12

I could moderate for awhile,and I never drank everyday. Mostly on weekends. But I led to 2 ,or 3, or 4. Then I just quit counting. And I really didn't care to. Its better for me to not drink at all.

tomsteve

search back through the threads and you'll come across the moderation experiment already tried.