noneever

My AV is really amping it up today. It's day 4 and I feel ok, anxious and a little agitated but much better than a few days ago.
I'm thinking about how I am able to stop after one beer. I do this weekly. If I can stop when I'm having dinner with others, why can't I do it when I'm alone? My AV is telling me the binges when alone are just a learned behaviour and that I can unlearn it. Or that it's fine to continue having my weekly single drink with others because no harm comes from it.
Help!

AnvilheadII

call BS, commit to not drinking NO MATTER WHAT and move on to another topic.

seriously, don't debate.
recommit.
and turn your focus to something positive and meaningful.

Behappy1

I too could drink socially. At home though I could not control it. My AV is actually chiming in a little bit today as well. But I think for me it's the alcohol still in my system. I feel fine, but it's only been 48 hours. One thing that helps me is to have a PLAN every night. Tonight I am tinkering around here and online. May watch a little netflix and then to bed early. It also helps if I am at home at a decent time. If I'm out and about say 7ish by myself I'll be way more tempted to buy a bottle.

Mattq2

If it helps nonever, in a thirty year drinking career I tested all available loop holes, most of them at least twice to make sure I was right. None of them worked....ever.

doggonecarl

If you haven't taken drinking completely off the table, these are the kind of negotiations your addiction is going to engage in.

Anna

I tried that loophole, too. I knew it wouldn't work, but I tried. Day 4 is often a tough one because you are starting to feel better and get a little distance from the alcohol. Your AV is seriously worried that you are going to win the battle, so it's upping the game. Stay strong and move onto Day 5.

Dee74

I thought of it this way noneever - I was finally living right - doing the right thing by others and by myself.

I'd finally gotten out of a toxic relationship that very nearly killed me.

There should be no loopholes in that scenario

D

least

I'm so much happier sober that I don't want to drink. The thought repulses me. Why risk everything to drink? Not me. I'm so much happier now.

AdelineRose

Maybe the answer is to make a recovery plan in place for not only the good days but for the hard ones. Creating a circle of friends and family members that you can call and/or meet up with can be really important when we first get sober. Have you picked a recovery program you want to follow? There are a bunch AA, Rational Recovery, Smart, Life Ring and a million more. Just winging it with no plan is dangerous. The more structure and work I put into my recovery the stronger and stronger it became.