Is moderate drinking possible again?

Knowledge
29

I had been so envious and jealous of those “regular” drinkers that seem able to pick it up only on weekends or at dinners but until one day I sat back and had a sobering thought. Their lives so often revolve around stories of alcohol induced “fun” and I realized that they aren’t moderating at all.

Pictures of “fun” always had beer in them. The incredible amount of comments on social media around requiring that glass of wine. The tv ads, my God!, there’s as many pushing alcohol as there are advertising addiction and recovery services…
I agree with @latinlion84, the lines of moderation are often blurry.
I am choosing sobriety and clarity in my life.
Whatever you choose, good luck to you @Dutchbelgian, you know we’re all here to share in your successes and prop you up when you need it.

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30

No
Nope
Nada
Nyet

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31

If you think your a have a drink prob then maybe you should stop , i dont have any success stories on people ive known going back to moderate drinking , only you can tell if your a alcoholic if you are then stopping i suggest , but if you continue moderate drinking i wish you well what ever you decide .

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32

There came a point where I basically had to “sit down” with myself and have the discussion that the thought process of moderation was pure bullshit. In the beginning it was tough. Lots of prayer, lots of keeping myself busy finally got me to the point where I could see sobriety was where i needed to be.

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33

Je bent naar de juist plek gekomen! Dit forum is echt geweldig

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34

Nope… sorry

My credentials are trying that for 5 years, and failing miserably

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35

I have somewhat of a success story, and my previous drinking habits and lifestyle is pretty similar to yours with the exception of traveling the world.

I’ve never been a daily drinker and in the past I would go weeks between drinks and had countless days where I would only have a beer or two. In 2017 I was consistently in the gym 5 days a week at 4:30 am and I was cycling a minimum of 3000 miles a year. I had cut out all weekday drinking. Well the weekends would roll around and it got to the point where I would just over do it. Countless blackouts and I just got tired of the hangovers. So I quit, for 8.75 months.

Then I had the thought, can I moderate?
The answer was yes, I did, for almost 2 years. There were many weekends where I would go to a restaurant, have 2 beers with dinner, and be fine when I got home, no desire to keep drinking. Other times I would pick up a couple of 4 packs of the latest craft beers, have one of each and be good for the night.

So why did I eventually fall back into old habits and then some? That’s an answer I’m still looking for and I definitely have some better ideas as to why.

I’ve just finished reading This Naked Mind and alcohol really screws up your brain and especially the dopamine response as well as decision making. So while it’s possible to have one or two again, over time your brain builds tolerance again and it takes more and more to get that pleasure. It took me two years to get back to that point, some may only take a month, some may be there with that first drink, hell some may never get back to that point.

It’s going to be a gamble no matter how you look at it. So it’s up to you if you’re wanting to go down that road.

I can honestly say though that I feel 137% better now than I have in the last 2 years, so it’s asinine to even entertain the idea of drinking alcohol again. Do I miss the buzz? Absolutely, BUT! It’s about what I want more in the end.

A good quote I see on Reddit is: “getting drunk tonight is stealing happiness from tomorrow”.

So good luck on your journey, we’re all in this together.

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36

Short and sweet answer No… for me anyways like many others one is never enough and more than one is too many.

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37

Hi. I’m 41 also, big drinker most of my life also. You know you better than anybody. If it is possible for someone else, it may not be for you. Don’t risk it. Congrats to those who can drink like a gentleman, but gotta face the truth, if you have to question it, don’t even try. Good luck amigo.

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39

This is an ultimate question. I tried it of course like probably every single one of us. I could drink moderately for months, I could even go to the bar, have only two beers, go back home and not even have another one, or I could refuse a cold one for lunch when everybody around was having it. I’ve done that and I was proud of myself. Until the day came when I totally lost control. Some rehab centers nowadays are trying to not exclude social drinking with Naltrexone. You would have to do research about modern rehab treatments

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41

Copy and pasted from something I wrote to someone last night. It hasn’t changed :wink:

I always tell new people around here the same thing. That is that no amount of sober time will ever make us able to drink like a normal person. Period! This has been proven more times than anyone could ever count. There are countless stories on this forum of folks that have tried to prove this fact wrong. All they got was right back where they started. drunk and heartbroken

So right now you are doing great! Keep it up. Just be wary of thinking that you were sober for a bit and you can control it now. That way only leads to failure for folk like us.

Best wishes

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42

We might be able to drink successfully a time or two. But it will always end up in oblivion for us.

Acceptance that I will never be able to turn back into a normal drinker was a big step for me. Being able to surrender my fight with alcohol was the most relief I have ever felt. I didn’t have to fight anymore. I didn’t have to try and fail to moderate. And it was pure freedom!

I can tell you without a doubt that any one of us that thinks they can moderate, will end up heartbroken and broken. Again and again and again.

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43

I am right around your same age and have also been drinking most of my life. In my personal opinion I believe I will never be able to drink again. One starts it all and then it never stops. This is hard to comprehend and I am still learning how to get it. I just keep reminding myself you had your fun already, if you really even want to call it fun. Most of mine was a mess and very ugly. Time for me to move on. There is more to life. Just my take on it all :blush:

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44

You,re addicted for lifetime ! If you stay sober, the monsters inside sleep, but they,re always alert. Everytime you drink again, the power of these killers get,s stronger…they awake, they tell you : keep on drinking ,you feed them. After a long time soberness they get smaller and more harmless but they never die.

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45

If you’re on this forum for alcohol related reasons, chances are, drinking in moderation is impossible. I’d imagine most of us have “tried” it and might manage to only have a few on the first couple of nights but before you know it, you’ll be back into blackouts. (I’m speaking mainly for myself)!

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46

Feel like I’m beating a dead horse with this answer, but no. If you truly have the disease of alcoholism, it will only get worse if you continue to drink. I had 4 1/2 months sober and decided (for no particular reason) to have 1 drink. Then the next night I decided to have 1 drink. Then the 3rd day I decided to have 15. Like I was never sober at all. I know all to well its not worth the risk. Bc that was 4 1/2 months ago and I’m still struggling. All the best.

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47

Naltrexone has been proven to work for some people by blocking the receptors in your brain that are so hungry for endorphins created by alcohol. I have never tried it, but I have heard stories of people who have used the drug to return to a pre-addictive state. Obviously results vary from person to person and there are side effects. But if you were set on trying to return to drinking in moderation, this would probably be one of the only ways to do it. That being said, it’s still not going to garunteed that you can continue to drink in moderation once you inevitably stop taking the drug. I’d ask your gp for more info if you wanted to try it.

It’s pretty clear cut on this app though. The majority of people will tell you can’t be done because the suggestion that is can is a dangerous one and everyone here is trying to look out for each other.

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48

No in my opinion.
Tried it 2 times and failed! I just can’t stop after 1 glass of wine.
When time goes by you’ll realize that you won’t miss it any more.
You can have an absolutely great life without the booze :slightly_smiling_face:

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49

I can definitely relate to all you are saying. I do and often feel the same… no day drinking, many moderate days as well and still functioning at this time…
But the pressure from inside as well as from my total environment to drink and give up is crazy! Just drink as we do… have a few get drunk… get crazy, enjoy life. Even my wife outside finishing her second bottle is saying; who cares, come outside and drink one… all my friends laugh; come on… you never make it, you are always the first with a drink… been saying since Saturday, and showing I am done for now! No more! But the support sucks! Hope I can do it with all the love and support I found here today… 1 day at a time I guess…

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50

This thread is a timely reminder, as thoughts of my own have been creeping in, wondering if I could have a drink here and there and moderate. I read this thread and remember that I’ve been there, tried that, failed! It’s not possible. It is an illusion. It is not worth it. Sober life = our best life, for anyone who has problems with alcohol.

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