So I’ve done 15 days sober so far and I’m feeling pretty good about things. I haven’t really had any cravings for booze nor have I had any really bad withdrawal symptoms. So I was chatting to a mate today and we got talking about going out for food when the lockdown is over. It got me thinking about socialising with friends again and the possibly of me having a drink with them. Would I be such a bad guy if I drank again? I mean I know I got bad on the drink before but I feel like I’m in a better place mentally to not get on it every day. It would be nice to have a drink on a weekend and not drink during the week. What’s your thoughts on?
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Well, you said you are “feeling pretty good about things”, and “got bad on the drink”. Did you do it for effect? Deliberate drinking is problem drinking and done long enough, alcoholic type drinking will ensue. If you can be the “normie”, hats off to you. Only you can choose. My 2 cents.
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Definitely I would say not a good idea, if you were bad on the drinking before, trust me when I say you’ll be ten times worse after you relaspe. Y? I can’t tell yah… but I’ve gone 15 days several times, and month at one point and each time I spiralled out of control even further. Life is certainly still hard sober man, but it’s better then any of the good days I thought I had drunk. If you work your sobriety, life can and will still be fun without the drink… obviously the choice is yours to find out, but it’s you’re mind tricking you
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If you are an alcoholic/addict you won’t be able to control it.
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I would say NO but to each is own. There is a tread on this forum about people that relapse and why, like 90 percent of them said because they thought they were able to drink in moderation. Well 90 percent failed they started by drinking one or two and a little more and than guess what a month later they were drinking like they never stopped. What’s the difference between what you are trying to do nothing same thing just a different person. Thank the man upstairs you don’t have symptoms because I know I did and they are not nice to your brain or your body. Hope this helps man do what you do like I always say stay safe and stay sober good luck.
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This is a sobriety forum. Most of us who are here are here because we have learned that moderation does not work for us.
Sure, moderation sounds great. In my experience however, moderation was a fool’s folly: this fool’s folly. I was never a daily drinker. I generally went all week without drinking: eating well and exercising until the weekend. Over time, I had all sorts of plans about how to limit and control my consumption when I went out on a Friday night: a glass of water after every drink, no shots, only beer, food after drinking, a hundred plans to stop myself before I dropped off the cliff into blackout land. And sometimes I would manage to control things for a little while. Until I didn’t. And when I didn’t, I was right back in a world of shame and embarrassment, writhing in pain and vomit and all of the other messes I had created.
The question you ask has been asked here many times before. And no, wanting or having another drink doesn’t make you a bad guy. But it might mean you, like many of us, are an addict.
It took me quite a long time to finally face the fact that I didn’t have the power to control myself once I started drinking: even if I could manage it for short periods of time.
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You’re likely in a good place mentally because you’re sober. Add the drink back to the equation and in comes the poor decisions, 1 drink turning into another until you black out. Wake up in regret and embarrassment then back to square 1.
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Would you be bad if you drank? No not at all. Could it be ok? Sure it could. Have you had trouble “controlling” alcohol before? Yes. Do normal drinkers have trouble controlling their intake? No. Has taking alcohol out of your life improved your mental health? Yes.
When I realized the effect that drinking had on my mind, body and relationships…the real effect…not drinking was a no brainer. Good luck in your choices…it sounds like you might already know what the right one is. We’re here on your sober journey to listen 
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If you want to drink why did you stop in the first place? Do you think the reasons you stopped drinking have disappeared in the last 15 days?
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This is a slippery slope that only will land you at the bottom.
As alcoholics we dont have the control to stop before it’s out of hand. While we can limit our daily consumption for a while before we know it they limit keeps becoming more and more.
I know for myself 1 drink today will turn into 2 drinks the next time…then it’s 3. Then before I know it its daily till I black out.
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The phrase ONE IS TOO MANY AND A THOUSAND IS NEVER ENOUGH in How it Works is there for a reason.
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If your asking that question then the answer is most likely no. Don’t do it. Like others have said it’s a very slippery slope. Stay strong 
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Well said. I can totally relate.
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All I know was I was a “normie” for a long time. And slowly, over time, things progressed and I am no longer nor will I ever again be a normal drinker. Hats off to you if you can be. I myself got to 67 days sober and wanted to see what it would be like to drink after I hadn’t for a long time. So I drank one night, and it was like I had never stopped. I reset and now I have over 3 years since that night.
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In my case If I have those thoughts I try to recognize really quickly that it’s not me talking right now, it’s the addiction talking, luring me back to way things were. I know the drill already because I’ve been there a hundred times.
Few weeks of good sober streak, starting to feel good about my drinking and forgetting the nasty parts of it. Thinking I got this now, this time is different so I down just a few beers, as a moderate drinker that I all of the sudden am. And it goes great, for one or two times. But over the weeks and months the portions grow larger, blackouts starts to occur, the moderate “few beers” nights only happen maybe 1/10 times or less…And you realize that oh, everything is going to shit, again, and it’s no different than the last time, only probably worse. That’s why even one drink is too many. It all starts with some moderate, new drinking lifestyle but eventually it leads back to same miserable conclusion that I can’t drink like a normal person no matter how hard I try. And for me accepting that fact got harder and harder everytime I went back to bottom so it’s safer just to stay sober. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to quit next time.
Now this is just me and maybe your case is differerent, but there’s still a reason that we both found our way to this forum, no? Weigh your options and really really think through the risks involving your experiment in a longer term.
And I think it’s absolutely great that you came here and asked for an advice 
Shows that you are already thinking before doing, well done 
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I know I couldn’t drink in moderation. The thought of even one more extreme night is enough to stop me from starting. Even if I didn’t go full on over the top for months, I would eventually get to that point where I’m black out drunk again… And I just never want to experience that in my life again.
And that’s just one aspect of it. Everything else would suffer from my choice. There’s no way it wouldn’t. My thoughts would be consumed by the constant worry of staying within my limits, making my mind a mental war zone.
The empty calories, negatives on my health, wasted money, loss of presence especially loss of quality time with my loved ones, loss of autonomy imo, my confidence would be depleted, I’d be putting myself in danger with the questionable decisions I make while under the influence…I honestly could go on. And those are mostly just the negatives of drinking.
The positives of not drinking are vast.
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Trust me ive done the research and the field expermentation the Answer is no.
And after being a barman for over 10 years and watching many folk go through this the Answer is still no.
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There was a time during my drinking career, where I could moderate, until I couldn’t. Even short quits to prove to myself that I was “still in control” didn’t give me the ability to moderate once again. “Maybe one” led to two, and soon enough, “maybe one” led to blackout.
You are not a “bad guy” for considering having a drink, but the fact that you admit getting “bad on the drink” indicates that you no longer have the ability to moderate.
I can’t tell you what will happen to you, if you decide to drink again. I can only tell you what happened to me, a retired Marine and very disciplined person: I might be able to stop at one, with great effort, or I might end up getting wasted. The thing is, it became more difficult with each “just one”, and it became increasingly more difficult to quit again.
So now I won’t drink, because I don’t drink. I have become a non-drinker. Guess what else I am?
I’m free.
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I’ve decided that the stress of “normal drinking” is harder then total abstinence. Yes, I could have a couple of beers if I absolutely had too… But the stress of wanting more would be worse than having none at all.
So none it is…
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From my experience I would always feel good think I have it under control and then that one drink turns to 2 then 3 next thing I knew I was on a downhill slide again drinking every day, I think you should remain sober still go out socialize but instead of alcohol buy a pop and food because at the end of the day you will know that you can do it even more you can stay strong and you can beat anything that is put in your path even old demons.
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