ErikT

so it WASNT a doctor? Just another addict?

alexc1991

If you can cut back without having the urge to drink more, then more power to ya. I, unfortunately, cannot do that. Once I get started I have to keep going.

malcolmsloan

My experience: I tried moderation/cutting back many times. Kind of drove me nuts, waiting for when I "could drink"/when it was "okay" to drink. Then when I had the green light, I had to pay attention to how much I drank when I really just wanted to cut the achor loose and slide into the abyss. It was like never being able to really scratch a bad itch. Then I had to wait for the next time. In retrospect, for me, moderation/cutting back eventually led me to even heavier periods of drinking. Just me. Just sharing.
Do what's right for you.

ErikT

Good post Malcolm.....I found the very same thing to be true for me when I tried to moderate. Id find myself really looking forward to when I COULD drink again. And when that time came....I went BIG. Bigger than I normally would have. Just led to even bigger problems for me both physically and emotionally......(and eventually, legally)

LadyinBC

Ditto, in fact trying to cut back made me want to drink even more. Then I would start obsessing about when I could drink. It was exhausting in the end.

Threshold

I've discovered that if I have to strategize about using or not using something in my life...it's usually a sign that I have a real problem with it. That I am using it like a crutch or a "reward"...because I feel that something in my life in not endurable without it.

I have found that addressing the what I am feeling I need to run from, white knuckle etc is more useful than using a self destructive crutch.

If I feel I still NEED to have something in my life...not just hey, it's nice every once in a while...then there is something more going on there.

ErikT

Yeah....its like back when I was using.....id be at a bar or restaurant and watch someone pay their bill, and get up and leave.....but they'd leave a half or almost still full beer or drink on the table...and I always thought...."that's crazy!!"