Nonsensical

I did the same thing for about 2 years after joining here.
What if I only drank once a year? Once a year I'll just rip it up for a day or two.
What if I only drank once every three months? Four times a year, that can't be a problem.
Surely if I only drank once a month it wouldn't be a problem, as long as I didn't drive or go out in public.

These seem workable on paper. Not normal, by any means. Normal people don't plan their drinking this way, but workable. I could reasonably drink at those levels and not wreak the kind of destruction on my life that daily drinking was causing.

The problem for me was that once there was a plan to drink it was all my mind wanted to think about. What day will I decide to drink? Is it today? Tomorrow maybe? Next Thursday? What will I have? Can I start at a bar, have a few there, and then leave and pick some up on the way home? No, I should have it at home already so I don't have to stop. What should I have? Its been a while, so I want a little X, a little Y, and a little Z. I don't want too much, though. Only enough for my one big blowout day. What time should I start? I should start about 10 in the morning. Or maybe at breakfast. That place with the bloody mary's. Yeah, I'll start there. Then I'll go get a little X, Y, and Z at the store and take them home, then I'll have the X...

and on and on and on.

Maybe that's not wreaking destruction like daily drinking did, but when your mind is held captive like that, it ain't freedom.

I choose freedom.

DontRemember

Here's my last 'slip' https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...11321-man.html (Man...) It didn't turn into a full on binge as it could have easily,BUT I still did things I would have probably not done sober. I came straight here the next day. I also had a few sips of a mexican beer when I was out of town and eating at a place I hadn't had in 20yrs,but I mainly did it for the flavor and wasn't drinking to get drunk(what I do).. I'm not saying 1 night is 'ok' because it's not if you're serious about your sobriety and will 97% lead you back to your 'normal' drinking ways.. Just my experience..Going to go to a meeting now. Take care and sober is WAY better than NOT! I never wake up with regrets of the night before now,wanting to hang myself or poison myself into death with more booze to just not care. I do care about my life now with a clear mind.. No more "F'it" from me.

Forward12

It's for sure one of the strongest AV excuses it tries to pull that if you have some sober time under your belt, you can some how magically go back to reasonable drinking, but that never is the case.
Alcoholism only has two motions, play and pause. It doesn't matter if you have a day, week, month, even decades of sobriety. Picking up just once takes you right back to where you stopped and likely even worse.

EliL

It depends what you believe really. Couple of examples. If you believe that you are powerless over alcohol and that you will end up back where you were in a short space of time, then thats what will happen and you will go for it on a relapse. If you believe that you are powerless over alcohol but there is a solution that can be put into effect at anytime then you will likely not be thinking that your world is over and leave the door open ajar back into recovery. I've seen both.

Ive seen a 28 year old mother of two so shamed by her drinking again that she 'fell' from a balcony about 2 months after she had that first drink after 3 years sobriety. I've seen someone have such a strong connection and support network that they have gone on a 3 day bender after 5 years sobriety and come back in and are still sober, stronger and wiser.

It is extraordinarily important to get in place a support network that will not drop you if you drink again and will not create that feeling of failure and shame in you. All the eggs in one basket really does work out badly for a lot of people who drink again, and really can kill you.