DS isn't an AA site. You'll find people on here who have different goals, different ways of tryin to handle their problems. Totally abstaining from alcohol is what I've found to be the best solution for my problem, but if there's folks out there who can make controlled drinking work for them, great! fantastic

Ditto what GOT said. This is an advertising backed content site. Content happens to be support, but not just from alcoholism, and definetly not AA affiliated or sponsored in any way.
The good news is the ads change by the minute:) Right now my view has breast cancer awareness and Clorox:)

Yes, GotTheGroove, but I don't think that AA has a monopoly on the the idea of abstaining from alcohol if you are an alcoholic. The reason most people find their way to this forum is because they tried controlled drinking and failed miserably.

For me, this was the final proof that I was an alkie as opposed to a heavy drinker. Actually, I think that is the root of the definition - the fact that you cannot stop at one drink (whether or not you are in AA). So I tend to agree with donttread that it's a little weird to have Advertising that encourages moderate drinking on an alcoholism site.

I do agree that if a person can engage in controlled drinking and succeed, then "good for them". But to me, that pretty much rules out the fact that you are an alcoholic.

You need to understand the marketing aspect of ads. I don't see ads on many sites, because I block them simply for that reason. They are based on keywords and site content. The ads are not owned by the site, but by a third party provider(ie googleadservices). Keywords on the site are pulled, run through a database and the appropriate ads based on those keywords are displayed. The site has no control over what is displayed. The only thing the site can do is either display the ads or not.

I appreciate the fact that DS is free for members, and understand their need for advertisers. But I guess I'm allowed to raise my eyebrows at ads that seem "ironic" (for lack of a better word) considering the purpose of the support site.

IN this age of mass marketing campaigns that personally targets each individual, nothing shocks me.

LLB, it is the same reason why Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year. This is why I have renamed "Thanksgiving" to "Christmas halftime"

Ads are becoming more target based. If they know that you, the consumer, like stuffed animals in the form of "cute bunny" then they will pitch that to you. If you have FB you will notice that ads are targeted to things you enter in your profile. It is the same way with the pharmaceutical companies advertising directly to consumers. "Do you wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night? Then this medication is for you!"

Mac is spot on this site has nothing to with ads you see, the wonderful world of internet marketing.

As far as controlled drinking the way I see it if your trying to control your drinking your most likely its already out of control.

After many years of annoyance and frustration I now treat all advertising in the same manner that I would treat alcohol and a politicians promises I blank them out completely.

Just as you can silence a modern TV with a mute button, you can also muffle what rubbish you allow others to deposit in your mind.

I think the beer ads we see here are even worse. Kind of counter-productive, imo.

I don't see AA in the post - just the idea that an ad re co.ntrolled drinking seems a bit odd on an alcoholism board.

I would really like to meet someone who has tried controlled drinking for a year or so and has been successful in doing so - successful = to not out of control drinking. I'm sure they're out there - I have just never met anyone who has done this.

BBH, it is true. I an google and find any post made on this board if I so please. If a site is capable of HTTPS/SSL I will use that to move around. Sadly, this site does not have that enabled.
I use NoScript and ABP and don't see the ads. I don't even let the NETWEBFARMS load up even though that is the parent site. Paranoid? no, just cautious....

Wrong for don I would think...wrong for me. BUT I don't know anyone else's situation, eh? Maybe that is ok for them-freedom rocks!

What Linda Jean said. I know this isn't an AA site, but I do see it as a recovery site.
Besides there is no credible evidence that controlled drinking works for alcoholics because it just doesn't

I honestly don't pay attention to them anymore. If someone points them out, I'll take a gander.

Do the ads change with the different support groups? Hmmmm. I'll have to check that out.

Yes, this is not an AA site, but a great site for tons of groups! Without ads, we would not have the many great features of this site.
We all wish we would see things the way we do, but that's the beauty of it.
The folk's on the "Alcohol Recovery Without 12 Steps" get to have their say on things too.
I even visited the euthanasia site because my daughter is in nursing school studying that, so I thought I would check it out....

"Without ads, we would not have the many great features of this site."

There are plenty of sites that don't require ads to run and they are not backed by big corporations. It is just a cheap shill to run a site with ads. I have a site for 6yrs that doesn't require ads. I refuse to run ads and believe me I have been offered.