ginnes

i want to cut down my intake of the devils drink but ive been drinking for 20 plus years every night ?? quite heavily

Dee74

Hi ginnes

I hate to tell you but I never had any luck with cutting back.

I think if we could, we would have done it and not have to come to places like this.

The only thing that really worked for me was complete abstinence - all or nothing.

Is that something you could even consider?

D

CaseyW

Welcome to SR, ginnes. "Cutting back" never really worked for me. Once I take that first drink I never know if I'm going to have one more or twelve more. All bets are off. So today I don't take that first drink. No matter what.

Looking forward to getting to know you better! There's a ton of great support and wisdom to be found on these forums.

Delfin

Ginnes, total abstinence is the way to go, imho. Most of us here tried cutting down and ended up right back where we started, or worse. I'm at day 53 of total sobriety and my plan is to never drink again. I can tell you it's the best choice I've ever made!

Delfin

FarToGo

Welcome, I'm afraid I'm going to chime what the others have said. I could never cut down for long and always seemed to end up drinking even more, every day.
SR is a good place to read and post whatever your plan.
Good luck
xx

ginnes

i know wat you are all saying and i appreciate it but I dont want too totally give it up just drink maybe once a week and not go over the top if possible

Dee74

I understand that.
Most of us wanted to try to cut back rather than quit entirely too - but most, if not all, of us here have found that it's just not possible.

If I had a different experience to share , I would Ginnes

If you're set on trying to cut back, there's a group called Moderation Management that you can Google - but to join I think you need to commit to 30 days alcohol free before you start 'moderating'.

Have you tried to cut back before - how did you go?

D

Meraviglioso

Bud, oh how most of us here understand you. We also wished for that when we first started our journey. Trust me, if it were possible most of us wouldn't be here.
But you know what, you sound set on this idea and nothing I say is going to make you understand. I get that you feel strong and determined and different from us, you'll be able to manage it, you are the exception. I get that because I felt exactly the same way.
You go ahead and give it a try. Do come back and report on how it is going and especially your tips to manage drinking once a week without going over the top. There are surely hundreds, if not more, of people here who would love to follow your system and drink just once a week without going over the top.
Me, while I might be happy for you that you found the way, I won't be interested in your method. I am finally in the place where I am loving sobriety and all that it brings me. Christ almighty it feels good to no longer be a slave to the drink.

Lastly, and read this part good because I think ti will be important for you in the future, if you find that despite all the good will in the world you actually cannot manage your alcohol intake, that you cannot cut back, moderate, just have a drink or two once a week, come on back here for advice on freeing yourself once and for all.
I cannot tell you the times I have come back to this site, tail between my legs, admitting defeat once again and have been welcomed back each time, told to stand up straight and not be ashamed and given sound advice on how to go forward. We are here for you, without judgment if you plan fails, anytime you want to check in.

Best of luck to you.

Soberwolf

The fact you don't want to stop is a massive red flag do you think normal ppl talk on sobriety websites about this ?

Sorry to be a bit blunt but recognise what's going on here

Your idea... just want to drink once a week

The truth .... You have drunk heavily every night for 20 years & you call it the devils drink

Opivotal

ginnes, I believe I conveyed to you last night the response you would get as this is a sobriety forum.

I never succeeded in moderating and believe me, I tried. I also found that when I did try to moderate... the results were disastrous. Often blackouts or a downright binge for days.

Dee recommended a site that may be more in line with what you're looking for.

Of course we're here to support you if you find moderating isn't for you.

Cascabel

You are getting good advice here Ginnes: the odds that you will be able to moderate the way you are proposing are pretty slim. In my, sadly, considerable experience, it is easier and simpler to just quit and have done with it. Trying to moderate is a lot more work than just biting the bullet and quitting.

In my opinion, if you simply quit, you will realize that you are not giving up a pleasant pastime, you are actually freeing yourself from an addiction. And, that is a wonderful feeling.

DefconOne

For a true alcoholic cutting back doesn't work. Alcoholism isn't a weed you can cut back, you got to take out the root and completely abstain or it will come back bigger, tougher, uglier. If you have insurance I would get an addiction assessment from a qualified medical doctor and get a recommendation for treatment. Don't try to quit at home and alone. Help is available. If you really want to quit it can be done within the safe confines of a program that will not only promote non-drinking but a better life style.

GnikNus

The fact that you've come here and posted the desire to cut back on your drinking indicates that you realize you have a problem. Like several people have mentioned already, moderation will not solve the problem.


For drinkers like us, "cutting back" and "drinking moderately" are pipe dreams. Given what heavy drinking does to our brain chemistry, it's an impossibility to go from drinking heavily to moderately. It goes the other way around.


This site is a wealth of resources to help you quit for good. It actually saved me from an early grave and a world of problems from drinking. Now I am free from an addiction that I had no idea was causing as much harm physically, emotionally and spiritually as it was.

Hawk07

Hello Ginnes . Most of us on here tried every method or idea we could possibly think of to simply cut back on our drinking at one point or another. It seems like something that should be entirely doable at first right? That's what I thought when I was stuck in that merry-go-round. Well everyone of us failed. Why? because we're alcoholics. So what would be the point of us giving you tips and advice on how to do something we failed miserably at?
If at any time in the future you decide you want to try total abstinence from alcohol I hope you come back here. That is something we have done successfully and we're always happy to share what worked for us in cutting alcohol out of our lives completely.

Rar

I tried that after several months of sobriety. Worked for a little while, but I was miserable because I wanted more than just one or two a couple of times a week. Before long, I was right back to drinking the same amount before my first quit. Anyway, from experience, I'm of the same opinion as the others - it doesn't work.

Maffers

I tried many times just to cut back. But it turned into a vicious cycle, where I could slow my roll down, and even stop for a bit. Then before ya know it I'm hitting the rocket fuel even harder then before. 20 years is a long time of daily drinking and something your going to have to change for your life to get better.

totfit

If you want to cut down only, seek out Moderation Management. I would think if you had been drinking for that long you may have tried cutting down many times however. For me abstinence is the only thing that works. MM works for some, but not all. I have also seen for many if not most that it is a lot more trouble than it is worth and that abstinence is most likely the easier softer way. It is about a total life change.