smadams11

so my previous post said that i had gone a week drinking very little. it seems like a very long time ago and i am extremely tired now that im sober-is that my body recovering?
anyway, this past week i have gotten drunk on 2 separate nights. other than that i have been sober (happily and fairly easily).
is it okay for me to drink every now and then or is the rule to never ever touch alcohol again?
the reason i was so worried about drinking is that i was drinking alot more than the recommended amount and thats dangerous etc...so if i am drinking within the safe amount per week-my health should be okay. would this be okay? or is it a no no?
im not asking whether its a 'bad road to go down'-i know the risks of becoming more dependent on it, but in general, if i could contain the drinking to one night a week and not surpass the allowance recommended-i think that would be okay.
what do you think?

Raider

Only you know the answers to your questions. There are no rules. What is ok for you may not be ok for me. But just the fact you have posted all theses questions would lead one to believe.........you think there might be a problem. You know the answers.

ScottFromWI

It's the age old question we all ask ourself. If you are an alcoholic, the answer is no because alcoholics cannot moderate. It's just not possible. If you aren't an alcoholic you should be fine drinking occasionally.

Dee74

Whenever I kept drinking I never gave my body time to recuperate - it was no wonder I was so tired.

Maybe you have the same thing happening smadams?

If you can consistently stick to one night of the week, and stick to under 2-3 units which is the moderate level for females in the UK, then more power to you.

Drinking & You - Units and guidelines

I could never do that.

D

EndGameNYC

Don't know if you noticed, but you're answering your own question here.

foolsgold66

I think you have a problem with alcohol and should consider putting the bottle away permanently.

ImperfectlyMe

Let me share a VERY personal story with you. When my husband was 21 he was a fun going college kid with a pretty active drinking habit lets say he had been drinking 5 years consistently. While away at school he went into rapid atrial fib (rapd irregular heart) they shocked his heart back into rhythm and he thought fantastic all is well. He continued drinking. At 26 he woke to not being able to breath. drove himself to the ER where they had to medivac him to a high level trauma center. At 26 my husband was in acute chronic congestive heart failure. This diagnosis was Alcohol Induced Cardio Myopathy. That was his last drink in his 20s!!!

Fast forward to last november he's 39 hasn't drank in many many moons, and guess what. He went back into full blown heart failure but this time his heart was the size if a basketball and filled with blood clots!!! His cardiologist said this was 100% due to alcohol abuse!. He will never ever be 100% ok in terms of cardiac issues, despite not ever drinking again!

This share is not to scare you but to answer your question is it ok. My answer is NO. Alcohol can be irreversible, can pop up out of the blue many many years after you quit drinking.

What's stopping you from quitting all together? Being sober is actually a beautiful way to live, you just have to get past the Rocky first few months.

Be well!

jazzfish

"Contain" is not a word I associate with drinking patterns that are within healthy limits. While some problem drinkers become moderate drinkers, in my experience, problem drinkers never learn to become moderate drinkers. It sounds like you could slip into maintenance drinking where you drink just enough to keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay.

I have nearly 30 years of trying to "contain" my drinking and it has been one long downward spiral of misery and failed attempts.

least

By just asking the question you're indicating there is a problem, or you wouldn't be asking. I'd just leave it alone. Sober is better.

MIRecovery

It is every alcoholics fantasy to be able to drink normally. I know hundreds of alcoholics that tried controled drinking and all of them have failed multiple times including myself. in order to quit drinking we have to admit to our inner selves that we will never ever be able to drink like other people

jeeves

There is no definitive answer to this question, it varies person to person. Most addiction specialist would go with the '100% abstinence approach.' In my personal opinion for some such a commitment is unrealistic and intimidating. My father was alcoholic and went to rehab, he didn't drink for six years. When he retired he started drinking wine again, in all honesty this has not affected him negatively. He keeps it in check and is as good as a father as ever. Obversely, I have seen a number of people take this approach and completely fall on their ass. They come up with a number of justifications for their use, and draw lines in the sand they cannot follow. Ultimately it takes a lot of self-control, and there are so many factors to take into account I can't give you an answer. I'll leave you with some lyrics from an eminem song about addiction.

Maybe just a nice cold brew what's a beer
That's the devil in my ear I been sober a ******* year
And that ****** still talks to me he is all I can ******* hear
Marshall, come on, we'll watch the game it's the cowboys and buccaneers.
And maybe if I just drink half I'll be half buzzed for half of the time
Who's that mastermind behind that little line?
With that kind of rational man I got half a mind
To have another half of glass of wine sound acinine
Ya I know
But I never had no problem with alcohol
Ouch, look out for the wall aim for the couch I'm about to fall
I missed the couch and down I go looking like a bouncy ball
**** must have knocked me out 'cause I ain't feel the ground at all
Wow, what the **** happened last night, where am I?
Man **** am I hungover and god damn I got a head ache
**** half a Vicodin, why can't I?

Vedette

Simple answer = No!

jeeves

Although I agree that for the vast majority the answer is no. There is no simple answer.

BeerTooth

smadams, I can relate to your questions. I don't know if you getting the answers you want to hear but I would like someone to tell me it's okay to have a few as long as I keep it in check. I know that will never work for me.

Your post probably helps others that have the same questions. There seems to be at least one post every day about moderation. For me it helps knowing that others have the same strong desire to drink moderately. I appreciate threads like this.

ImperfectlyMe

Completely not looking to start a moderation debate!!!!!! But, on a site called SOBER recovery for the most part members are going to promote total abstinence.

For some moderation may be ok. The act of actually having to Mindfully Moderate ones drinking suggests a problem. This is just my opinion though.

serious

take a break for 3 months, then decide what you'd like to do.
if you are successful that should answer a lot of your questions.

hopeful4

I think that even thought you have good honest intents of only moderately drinking that very very rarely does that ever work.

Good luck to you!