The Sober Squad- Alcohol Free Living

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  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,155 Member
    edited September 2018
    https://www.verywellmind.com/can-alcoholics-learn-to-drink-moderately-67719

    Yes, I googled “can alcoholics ever become moderate drinkers?”. I was thinking today... maybe I”m not an alcoholic after all. Then, I read this paragraph, and I said “oh yeah, that sounds just like me.”

    From the article:

    You see, my memory is selective. I tend to forget how sick I felt each day, the hangovers, the blackouts, the puking, the worrying about how I appeared to other people, the remorse I felt every single morning when I woke up. I was beating myself up, and yet I continued. Who does that? Social drinkers don't do that. But alcoholics do.”

    “However, those who have quit drinking because of past problems, and then attempt to go back to controlled or moderate drinking, fail to do so. They simply cannot drink one or two and stop, or at least not for any sustained period of time.”
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    edited September 2018
    Awesome job @RubyRed427 !!! What a wonderful getaway for you B) who knows if it'd have been funnier with some al,some times Id think that then drink and feel awful! That's one thing I remember about drinking for me is that it's unpredictable,I wasn't sure if I'd get the happy buzz,irritated buzz or the sad buzz,I also know I can't learn to drink moderately trust me I've tried! Tried pacing it,eating with it,drinking water between drinks,meh,that just irritated me! I wanted to just get crunk! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!
  • lorrainequiche59
    lorrainequiche59 Posts: 900 Member
    Am I an alcoholic OR a problem drinker? I do not know. The only thing I DO know is there is a fine line between a problem drinker & an alcoholic and I also know that I am happier without it so it doesn't really matter what the "label" is. There is a stigma to the term alcoholic & now the term is Alcohol Use Disorder which doesn't sound as hopeless I suppose!! Waddy'all think?? Hmmmm??
  • donimfp
    donimfp Posts: 795 Member
    @lorrainequiche59, I recommend Allen Carr’s book titled something like The Easy Way to Quit Drinking for Women. I buy his clearly stated contention, which is the same as Annie Grace’s, that there is no sense to the label “alcoholic,” as if only a certain group of people are affected negatively by ingesting an addictive substance.

    Years ago I dabbled with Moderation Management, and you are right. Those folks spend a TON of time focusing on alcohol and “managing” it. It was exhausting. No thank you.

    @JenT304, HAPPY BIRTHDAY tomorrow!!!! Have a wonderful celebration.
  • Ke22yB
    Ke22yB Posts: 969 Member
    @lorrainequiche59 A label is just that usually what someone else calls us. I was an alcoholic who had a problem drinking more than I should. My daughter who has been in AA for over 20 years asked me when I stopped " what do you call an alcoholic who doesn't go to AA meetings? A drunk. So I was a drunken Alcoholic who stopped drinking :o over ten years ago. The bottom line for me is I don't drink. The label I go with now " I am a runner" and then there are people who want to quantify what is a runner how fast am I how far do you run. Mostly as they sit on their butts labeling me.
    A wise man once told me " its none of your business what someone else thinks of you" or don't worry or care what they think of you just be comfortable with what you think of you.
    @JenT304 happy birthday enjoy whatever treats you chose for your birthday present another year older but certainly another year wiser
  • Ke22yB
    Ke22yB Posts: 969 Member
    @Louise754 welcome and congratulations on your AF journey
    @RubyRed427 I prefer to think after 10 years I can handle moderation but my life has taken me in another direction and there is no room for drinking anymore. So I believe I have the discipline and that is satisfying but wont try that self control. Always better safe than sorry.
  • salleewins
    salleewins Posts: 2,308 Member
    RubyRed427 wrote: »
    https://www.verywellmind.com/can-alcoholics-learn-to-drink-moderately-67719


    “However, those who have quit drinking because of past problems, and then attempt to go back to controlled or moderate drinking, fail to do so. They simply cannot drink one or two and stop, or at least not for any sustained period of time.”

    Tried it, tried it, tried it....can NOT do it!!! There were a couple of other points I thought were good reminders also...#1 moderation is one drink per day for women, 2 for men...anything beyond that is risking health problems. #2 Those who have been able to learn to moderate alcohol were likely problem drinkers & not alcoholics & it referred to Moderation Management...sounds like too much work to me...#3 if alcoholics do fool themselves into thinking they "may" be able to moderate & by the time they learn that they cannot, it's too late. It can take several years to return to sobriety & sadly some do not...NOT WORTH THE RISK!! to try to fool myself one more time...besides I like the buzz & the chillax effect of alcohol...you can NOT get the level of chillax that I got by drinking one standard drink...

    Sobriety is way better than putting too much energy to torment myself to have one measly drink... ;) and then stop...easier to just stop altogether!!! @RubyRed427 Thank you for that article...needed the reminders!! <3

    Thank you!
  • salleewins
    salleewins Posts: 2,308 Member
    Ke22yB wrote: »
    @Louise754 welcome and congratulations on your AF journey
    @RubyRed427 I prefer to think after 10 years I can handle moderation but my life has taken me in another direction and there is no room for drinking anymore. So I believe I have the discipline and that is satisfying but wont try that self control. Always better safe than sorry.

    Thank you!
  • salleewins
    salleewins Posts: 2,308 Member
    JenT304 wrote: »
    Tomorrow is my birthday and it is the first one in a long time I will not have any alcohol. I'll treat myself in other ways. A pedicure or facial or both, who knows. I am happy to be on this journey with all of you <3

    Those sound great for your day! Enjoy!
  • SunnyDays930
    SunnyDays930 Posts: 1,479 Member
    Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes! I am grateful for another trip around the sun.
    @fdhunt1 Welcome! You will find support and encouragement here. We are all each others cheerleaders. <3
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    Happy Birthday Jen!!!🍰
  • donimfp
    donimfp Posts: 795 Member
    Sobriety is way better than putting too much energy to torment myself to have one measly drink... ;) and then stop...easier to just stop altogether!!!

    This is very well put. I never thought of it this way. When I'm tempted to "try" moderate drinking, you're right, I'm hoping for just "one measly drink," not to go back to drinking like I used to. So all those mental gymnastics in the service of "one measly drink" just do not make sense. So, unless I want to go back to the all-in bad old days, better to just leave it. I'm picturing the Libra-type scales with my AF life on one side and "one measly drink" on the other. Duh!!!

  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,155 Member
    @JenT304 Hope your birthday was enjoyable and happy!
    Wishing everyone a nice day. Xo