LeadHatter

How would you recommend I do that? I’ve managed to cut down to three pints a night but no real success cutting it back further.

fishkiller

Well, just don't drink.

That's what I do. Not for a week or two. Just for today. Every day.


What got me through the beginning and keeps me going is coming here reading and posting.

biminiblue

If you're down to three without serious withdrawal, why not just jump off here?

What do you hope to accomplish by just quitting for one week, though?

Robbie64

Trying to moderate never worked for me as I would inevitably end up back where I started. Plus I couldn't enjoy the drinks I was having when trying to moderate as I was constantly thinking about having to make the drinks last, spacing out the time between taking a sip of my pint. It wasn't fun at all. I find it much better to just not drink at all.

If you have cut down to three pints and want to stop and aren't having any serious withdrawals, then just don't drink. But setting a time limit of a week means you'll still be thinking about your next drink. If in the medium and long term you want to stop altogether then it's far better to just draw a line under your drinking and stop, and stay stopped.

LeadHatter

Well I’m only having three tonight but Sunday and Monday I had a skinful each day. I poured the remains of my 1litre bottle of spiced rum down the toilet Tuesday

biminiblue

Good.

At some point there has to just be The End.

Might as well be now, right?

I drank a lot of spiced rum and high alcohol volume IPAs at the end. If you're down to three, make it the last three, yeah?

LeadHatter

I’m scared that I might get delirium tremens and die if I suddenly stop

Anna

It's easier to stop drinking completely than to cut down. If you're concerned about your symptoms, go to an ER or call your family doctor for advice. I think you will find that you will begin to feel better after stopping drinking completely for a few days.

Evoo

LeadHatter - I really want to challenge your approach, the entire mindset.

In your signature it says, "Sober Record 8 months 19 days."

You do know what needs done. You've been there. You're tapering. You're here on SR. Please stop thinking of your sobriety terms as a "record." This is your life and well being, not a video game. Next time you may not get a do-over. And even this post seems to be more about making an attempt at short-term sobriety and white-knuckling to some later date when you can drink again.

This all tells me your Addiction Voice is leading the charge. The entire framing is setting yourself up for failure. I recommend trying some other treatment approaches; some people need the accountability of AA. Others (like me) are big fans of Rational Recovery (AVRT) methods.

Either way, I hope you can find a way to free yourself of this addictive poison and find the best version of yourself.

KAD65

The conclusion I came to is if I have to ask how to moderate, or spend time thinking about it, then it means what I already know: I won't be able to do it. People who don't have a problem with alcohol don't have to think about such things, but those of us who do, obsess over it. We keep falling for the same old delusion that we'll finally, magically be able to drink less than what we know we really want. It's far easier and less frustrating to stop it altogether. And as Anna suggested, a doctor or the ER can help you withdraw safely. Wishing you the best.

dustyfox

Looks like you joined SR back in 2011 from the date on your profile - that's a while ago - I know I kidded myself for years before I finally had to face the fact that I had to stop - I think you know you cant kid yourself for too much longer - ?

Dee74

i've had to remove a couple of posts.
Just a reminder folks medical advice is not allowed.

I know people want to reassure the OP, but please share from your own experience.

Thanks
Dee
Administrator
SR

Jillian2563

I was scared I was going to die from drinking. If you’re scared, contact a dr. My experience was that my withdrawals were not as bad as I thought they would be, which kept me drinking. And then the drinking caused fear of dying from drinking.

Mizz

The whole "moderation" thing never amounted to being moderate for me. I thought about moderation almost every single day. Every single time I drank. Every single time I opened a bottle.

Me: I will have this one glass of wine.

20 minutes later
Me: I will only have half this bottle

20 minutes later
Me: I better just drink the rest.

5 minutes later
ME: Opens another bottle of wine.

No dinner. Drunk. Doing regrettable things that drunk people do. Rinse and repeat.

On and on and on. Groundhogs day of alcoholism.

Im so happy to have gotten off the party train when we hit the town of Soberville. It seemed like a pleasant enough place. Fresh faced happy people all around. I've been here ever since.

You can do this.

Free2bme888

OOOOoooooOooooOOOOOOooooo😁

what a great post, Mizz. « Somerville »

SouthernSober

In between here and the former WQD (We Quit Drinking...several fellow alumni here), I've been around these forums ~15 years. If I had to name ONE constant/takeaway...it's that no one posts about having successfully "moderated," "cut back," "controlled it," etc., and anyone and everyone who has any kind of lasting sobriety will cite the futility of attempting it. Feel free to disagree; I'm just citing my own experience.

Still not convinced? I suggest entering "Audrey Kishline" into any search engine (I use and recommend Duck Duck Go). The #3 top hit is from this very site, SR. It was widely discussed on WQD.

I haven't been here (SR) long enough to know for sure, but on WQD seemed like two classes of people: one, alcoholics like me who need AA and every other other tool, and crossed the line from abuse to addiction long ago; two, people who just had enough and dedicated themselves to the most major lifestyle change they could make. Well, didn't matter which group-- there was universal agreement that anything but full abstinence is unsafe.

This last time back out there I "cut it down" to 4-6 light beers a night (massive reduction from my younger, liquor days)...I was as miserable and sick as I ever was. I kicked on a Friday with 6 beers left in the fridge. I considered it a miracle and after a week to ensure no major withdrawal, I dumped them out.

I hope newcomers who truly want to stop will find help here, even if still drinking (like I was with WQD). But there is no magic bullet, and being upfront about abstinence is, IMHO, the right ethical and therapeutic MO. best, SS

DriGuy

I don't know why sites, if there others, like Moderation Management exist. Are the founders charlatans, misguided, or did they pull it off for a week, thinking they had found the solution, and then started a movement? Alcoholics cannot moderate. This inability is what defines alcoholism. I suspect that others like me who did not want to be alcoholics, go for years trying to moderate. I never once did it successfully. I did it looking to prove that I wasn't an alcoholic, so that was one incentive. Another was hoping that I would experience fewer consequences from my drinking. I couldn't do it, and I have never met an alcoholic who can. If I could drink with moderation, I wouldn't need to be here, and the thought that I had a problem would have never crossed my mind.

least

My whole point in drinking was never to have just one or two, but to get drunk. I wasn't interested in moderation, I only wanted to drink without consequences.

AthensDawgs

I tried to moderate the drinking as well, and only drink certain things. It didn't work and why I am here.

"ok, I'll drop the liquor and only drink this and that" - nope, didn't work. 3 weeks today.

Evoo

Yeah, Moderation Management is like if my AV started a movement.

I’ve had “successful” years of “moderate” drinking, they were a tremendous amount of work. Peppered throughout them are many nights of “overdoing it” and fighting hangovers, with mini-binges back to a few days of no alcohol where I convince myself I’m fine. Rinse, wash, repeat.