Hi everyone,
I joined this app about a week ago.
I have been thinking I have a bit of a problem with alcohol for some time. A lot has happened to me over the past five years and I feel like with the stress of everything I have been drinking more than normal, (whatever normal is).
I have read some posts and I feel like I can relate so much to many people.
My issue I guess is wondering if I can be a moderate drinker or give it up all together.
I do enjoy getting tipsy and having a night out with my hubby or have some drinks on the dock at our cottage.
I just feel like the weeknight drinks while cooking having one glass turns into 4-5 and I end up feeling horrible the next day.
I am also trying to create a healthier lifestyle for myself and I feel like with the amount of drinking I have been doing it is next to impossible.
I was able to get to day four and I ended up slipping and drinking a whole bottle of wine Tuesday night while making eating dinner and just watching a movie afterwards. I ended up feeling lousy yesterday and now I am back today starting fresh.
I commend so many of you that have done so well in maintaining a completely sober lifestyle.
I am looking forward to making friends here and getting and giving as much support as I can.
Happy Thursday everyone 
@Jessica…Welcome! We all have been there and all have started from somewhere. It doesn’t matter where you start so long as you do! You will find all of the trustable support you reach out for here. With many fine honest and experienced caring brothers and sisters who are here 24/7 to offer support and sometimes suggestions. The rest is up to you and looks like you off to a good start by joining us! Be cautious of the word “tipsy”, it’s still drinking with a more innocent sounding label 
.
Explore the topics and learn which ones work best for you and hope to see you often!
Hi I have the same struggle. Trying to figure out if it needs to be a break and reevaluate and or just cut it out all together. Some stressful times caught up and I noticed the similar patterns. So you’re not alone. Just focus on the healthier life style and make yourself feel better is all I can suggest. I’m trying hard to stick to that myself
Some people can moderate but I’m not one of them. Believe me, I’ve tried. I tried only beer, only liquor, only mixed drinks. Only on weekends, only on holidays, only when I’m feeling good, only when I’ve worked hard and think I’ve deserved it, only every couple weeks. The problem is, once I put “1” drink in my body, I don’t stop. It’s this vicious cycle. For me, I have to be completely sober and work on living on life’s terms and enjoy things without it. Sobriety isn’t punishment to me because my alcoholism and addiction was so progressive and obsessive that I wanted to stop but couldn’t. I lived in hell. I see sobriety and recovery as a blessing that many will never have a chance to have. I have learned tools that “normies” don’t have. From addiction to recovery (my story) has a purpose and has made me stronger and more compassionate. Without alcohol and drugs in my system…I have clarity, a sense of peace, contentment in my life, and a ton of gratitude. I have gained back self-respect and many other gifts that depression and addiction had taken away. My favorite quote… “Alcohol gave me wings to fly, then took away my sky” Complete sobriety gave me back bigger wings and a bluer sky.
Welcome 
if you feel like it’s being an issue then that’s the best time to cut it out…I never really realised or thought about it until I had abused alcohol so much I couldn’t drink without getting blackout drunk
Reminds me of Moderation Management.
When they started in 1994, I laughed. But they’ve managed to stick around. To each his own.
Nevertheless, you are most definitely welcome here @Jessica. Look forward to seeing more of you. 
Welcome @Jessica . I’m also a Jessica, and I think we have very similar drinking habits. I too have wondered if I could moderate my drinking, and keeping it just to weekends, but failed time and time again, waking up to go to work with a terrible hangover after drinking a bottle or plus of wine. I still struggle with trying to moderate my drinking or never drinking again. For now, I’m not going to drink and take it one day at a time. I don’t want to go back to the cycle I was in. Good luck to you on your journey!
Wow thanks everyone I already feel so welcome.
I wonder how I can achieve the same kind of “high” being sober doing the things I’ve mentioned.
All I know is that hangovers are really outweighing things and I really want to not waste my life with them anymore, for a while I would plan my life around a crappy hangover. Ugh
Welcome @Jessica! Your story has a lot in common with mine. I would plan on having 1 drink, due to diet, working the next day, etc. And after that 1, I didn’t care anymore. All plans went out the window once I had that first drink. It was party time and I drank like tomorrow was never coming.
I hope you stick around because being sober can be very rewarding!
Hi @Jessica and welcome to the forum. 
Congrats on taking the first big step to reflect on this.
Many of us here, if not all!, have tried moderation and it turned out to not be an option. Maybe it worked for a few days or weeks, but would lead to heavy drinking/use and everything bad again. That does not mean it can’t work for you, but my personal view is if someone makes a serious attempt at moderation, and it fails after a few tries, then sobriety is the logical choice.
These recovery-related links that members have posted might help you decide:
Hi and welcome @Jessica 
Gosh, reading your drinking habits is just like you had written down mine!
I too recognized it was an issue after way too many wooly heads in the morning and seeing the the empty bottles of wine on the counter.
I chose to go sober as moderation wasn’t working for me.
Good luck & hope to see you around the forum
Love that quote! Really resonates with me. That’s one I’ll be saving for when I’m having a bad day. Thank you
Thank you so much. I am on day two and it being the weekend I am going to see how I handle not drinking. Weekends were a huge trigger and if I can’t go this weekend without alcohol on my mind I think I might need to change my approach altogether.
So far I feel ok today I was able to go for a run which I haven’t done in two years.
I am having a lot of trouble sleeping, is this a common symptom?
Anxiety, sleep disturbance, aches and pains, sweating, nausea, moodiness, itching, sugar cravings… are all normal parts of recovering from poison.
I can relate to you 100% Jessica. We think we are gonna be able to have self control about drinking, but we always fail
I can relate! I’m new here too! I would say I’ll only drink two and then end up not remembering the rest of the night. I would wake up feeling awful and sick. That’s why I wanted to change and get sober and healthy. Welcome Jessica!
Sleep was the most difficult part for me. I was sober for 21 days before I could actually lay down and just fall a sleep.
I have 104 days today. I’m not new to recovery (I had 6 years and relapsed)
Oh wow, nonetheless 104 days is something to be proud of. I related to your story, especially in regards to wanting to healthy and take care of yourself then drink/use and having too start all over -like a never ending cycle. I do the same thing. I commit to being healthy, then at the 2-3 week mark I can’t take it ant longer and i will drink. But my BIG problem is that when i drinl I want to do cocaine. It’s like drinking isn’t as fun if that is not in the equation. And as we all know, doing cocaine can lead to long nights ave early mornings. I guess I never saw myself as having a problem until recently, since i wasn’t a daily OR even weekly user I felt I didn’t really have a problem- but I’m starting to think i do unfortunately