Arbor

For anyone thinking moderation today. I have to remind myself that towards the end of my drinking I honestly didn't enjoy it. It wasn't fun anymore. It had become dangerous. These are truths AV! Back off!

OnMyWay7

My AV tried about once a day with the "well maybe when I'm 75 I can drink again" it's kind of trying anything these days to get in - I just keep saying "Never again"

I gave it up for 9 months and then "tried moderation" because maybe I was different from others on this board and - Nope - it only got worse.

If I could moderate I wouldn't be here lol

upminer

For me the moderation ship has sailed I don't even want to risk it... I've been successful with NA drinks and will just stick to those when I want one. If I could moderate I wouldn't have to try to "control" my alcohol intake no matter what I drink I slam down two or three then sip the fourth and so on it doesn't matter whether it's soda or water or coffee or NA beer same thing. The only thing I have ever just had one and done is energy drinks... Go figure

Tang

I've tried moderating for 25 years. And while I managed to control it for stints at a time, I always ended up overdoing it. And now my body is changed. If I even have one I get a massive hangover. The stuff is poison.

Creekryder

For me in the past, NA drinks didn't work. I found myself guzzling NA beers more than I did with regular beer. I believe the look-a-likes just kept the psychological pump primed for me to drink. When the buzz didn't come, the response was to drink more. I prefer now to drink just water or juice. That way my body knows what to truly expect.
And moderation does not work for me...I don't drink, so I don't need to moderate.

BelleDeMer

Tang, you are 100% right on the money, and what a well timed post. For many of us, our next drink was all we could thing about after 12:00PM Friday

blanderpip

Sorry. This prob isn't the place but I'm new to this app and can't find anywhere else to ask for support.

Havin a tough time at the mo. Been dry for about 118 days with no problem whatsoever. Now going on holiday. Sat here in a bar with my wife and 4 pints of coca cola. We are both recovering drinkers and both off. But tomorrow we are cruising in the Caribbean. It's all we can do to stay off tonight never mind tomorrow. Any thoughts? Ian and Carolyn.

Lance40

For the problem drinker or alcoholic, moderation is just another form of denial that characterizes the disease. No matter how elaborate the moderation system, the ultimate end result is measuring and timing drinks right down to the bottom of the bottle.

Alynn

Exactly - no fun just dangerous!

PurpleKnight

The stress and energy of trying to make moderation work was immense, I spent more time obsessing over how many I was drinking, sticking to a limit, sticking to only 1 type of drink, only drinking on weekends, only on non work nights!!

Sobriety created a freedom from all of that!! It removed the chains of the constant stress!!

MIRecovery

I never wanted to moderate. I wanted to be drunk with no consequences. That was the holy grail I chased for 25 years but never found

leviathan

well put, MIR!

BelleDeMer

You both must have some amazing strength to go 118 days - and you still have each other... I have been on a carribean cruise, and I know you are venturing into dangerous waters , so to speak ( sorry) . It must be awesome to have a partner who is going thru the same thing.
You will enjoy the cruise so much more if you keep strong, and stick with the Coke !

MelindaFlowers

Moderation holds ZERO temptation for me. Why would I want to moderate? The whole point was to get intoxicated. Only abstinence for me.

Wine tasting never appealed to me even when I was at my peak of drinking. It was too slow and not enough. There was no point unless I could have three bottles all to myself and in one uninterrupted session.

Having less than I wanted was more annoying than not having any at all.

advbike

Man, I'm with you on that Purple Knight! I "moderated" for years instead of just accepting my powerlessness over it and getting on with the business of recovery. What a huge, obsessive waste of time.

Creekryder

This rings so true to me. I kept drinking a greater quantity to try to get an enjoyable feeling. The only thing I got was drunk. Couldn't be happier now that it is out of my life.

IfYouCanDream

I find myself fantasizing about moderation and being a normal drinker again. Takes a lot of strength to silence that voice and remember that it's not an option. I'm still in early recovery, will those fantasies ever go away? I find them quite annoying, to say the least. What a tricky thing this AV is.

MIRecovery

As I said before I don't want to moderate, I don't want to drink normally, I don't want a couple beers and feel mildly buzzed.

Those days are so far in the past I don't even remember them except in some fantasy of days gone by.

Alcohol took that choice away a long long time ago

Arbor

That's ultimately what we wanted isn't it? We say moderation to ourselves but we well know it ain't the truth.