Hitting bottom is relative. Each person hits it in their own way. If when trying to moderate you find you drink more than intended, and more frequently then total abstinence is something to consider. Perhaps, you might want to quit for 30 days and reassess then...

Why hit bottom, anyway? Why not strive to get to the top, instead???

ANY drinking impedes the journey if you indulge too much.

Bottom is when you decide that you are there. You can be a "high bottom" and get sober now. Other hit bottom several times. They serve time in jail, lose their families and jobs and homes and damage their health, yet continue drinking.

It is your choice and only you can decide where "bottom" is. High bottom is the best choice of all, though few people recognize the bottom when the consequences are not severe.

Maybe another war story might help.

I knew for a long time that I had a drinking problem. I could stop to test myself, then off to the races.

I got a DUI and got two years probation and still thought I did not have a problem. I drank during probation risking losing my drivers license and going to jail. I would have lost my company should that have happened.

I even started going to AA during my probation, but I was not one of them. Finally one morning, drunk, I tried to kill myself with a razor. I drove myself to the ER and was put in the Hospital, and played the game to get out early. Yep, still drank.

That sounds like a few potential bottoms there, plus I was married and had two kids at home, risking losing all of that.

Finally one morning, drunk again, I realized that I was going to die. I was able to fake everyone else out and play the game, but I could no longer drink another drink knowing deep inside, at that moment, that I was going to die.

That moment was my bottom, and I drove to a noon AA meeting, drunk, and was called on first to "share" (even though we are not called on in our meetings), and I shared and cried and left nothing to be unsaid. That is when I knew it was then or never, I would quit then or die one way or another since I had lost all control and could not stop alone.

I had two more relapses, one that was a three day blackout bender, but I got back into my AA meetings and stuck it out.

My last drink was on October 09, 2011.

So, I am not sure what that tells you except it tells me that "bottom" is relative to each individual. For me, bottom means you realize you can't drink anymore, and it means different things to all of us. You finally realize, understand and know that you will lose things that are not worth losing (because the day will come when that WILL HAPPEN). For me it was knowing that I would die, and I realized that it was worth living. The day I tried to kill myself was not the day I realized this. It was just the time when it was the time.

I also know that for me, it took a long time of not drinking to realize that I really did not NEED alcohol anymore. Alcohol was a way for me to cope and hide and all that shit. It took a long time for me to face those same situations, be it parties, people, stress, you name it, and to get through those times without drinking, to finally realize that I could get by without drinking.

After being sober long enough I realize that I really did not like the taste of alcohol. I just enjoyed the escape it gave me, which was a personal weakness. It takes a lot of time for some of us, me, to finally build up some strength and self esteem to see that booze is no longer needed.

Wow in some odd way I do know what your saying. And no you don't have to hit bottom for anything. I quit smoking yr and half now, after 28 yrs of smoking, Did I wait til lung cancer or lung disease no. By no means am I expert on quitting drinking though. I just recently realized, I needed to find out why I drink to stop the drinking. i'm currently makin a list of pros and cons right now. trust me the good out ways the bad. I think we as the human race can and will do anything we set our minds to.

I also agree that everybody's "rock bottom" is different.

I was the same way as NH4Q described. I'd cut back on the wine for a couple of days or I'd had a couple of higher functioning days at work, and I'd convince myself that I wasn't so bad and start pouring it on again full strength.

I started having severe problems at work in December 2012, which continued to worsen, which fueled my anxiety (and popping xanax) and drinking and stress. Just a miserable cycle of dysfunction and angst. I will lay a lot of the cause of that on the work environment and my bosses. (I wasn't the only one.)

When I had my annual checkup in October 2013, the nurse practitioner reported that I had elevated liver enzymes. By that time, I was having pain in the upper right quadrant of my abdominal area and whenever I'd bend over to do something like to put on my shoes, it would really hurt. I cautiously asked her what she thought the "cause" might be and she said "your medications probably are causing some fatty liver disease." That was all the pass I needed (even though I knew deep down what was going on.)

I stopped functioning and just quit going to work in October 2013 and lost my job. In hindsight, that was a good thing. I think that I have PTSD from that hellish experience.

In February 2014, one day I woke up and was shaking uncontrollably. This went on for four days and I finally had my sister take me to the ER. They gave me ativan and sent me home, probably because I didn't have insurance at the time. The shaking stopped, but I was very weak. I went one day sober and the next day, I dug out all of the sherry, marsala, bourbon and brandy I kept around for cooking and drank that. (Oddly, I'd never be tempted to drink any of that...)

Even though that mysterious shaking episode scared me to death, I went right out and bought more wine. I had such bad hip arthritis, I could barely walk, and had to carry the heavy bottles up steps to my apartment. Didn't stop me. A few days later, I had a appointment at a community mental health center and the psychiatrist put me on Celexa for depression, as I had quit my other AD cold turkey. (I later read that Celexa is also given for treatment of alcoholism, so I don't know...)

Maybe she saw through my BS when I "watered down" how much I told her that I drank. My third day on Celexa, I got sick to my stomach and I was out of wine. It was miserable weather and did I REALLY want to drag myself out? Feeling crappy won out, so by some miracle, I toughed it out. I had a pretty rough next three weeks and I don't know if it was from alcohol withdrawal or Celexa side effects -- or both. There was a LOT of scary stuff that I went through. I also had the "advantage" of not really being able to go out because of my bad hip and mobility condition.

Anyway, after all of that, I wasn't turning back. So, I finally quit drinking around Easter, so I'm going on nine months sober now. There have been times when I've been tempted, but I got through it. I'm determined to go to one year and then more years. I really haven't been in any situations yet, like a bar or restaurant, where it would be tempting and awkward. There are really only two people I'd be in those situations with. One is trying to quit drinking herself and the other can take or leave alcohol.

Being sober is good. I dropped nearly 20 pounds, which any little bit is advantageous when you have pain in your joints. Lots and lots of water replaced wine. I started taking better care of myself because I was so malnourished and dehydrated. I had a successful surgery and can freely walk again and I save a TON of money that I would have spent on booze. My blood pressure is so low now that I will probably get to stop my decades of taking medication for it. I completely quit my antacid medication. I sleep better and my anxiety is better (however, much room for improvement there...) I saw some family member today that I hadn't seen for well over a year and they kept complimenting me on how great I'm looking.

SOBER really IS better!

There are no benefits to drinking...moderation or no. And it doesn't make you happy..so what's the point when sobriety has endless reasons to aspire to it?

I use to think that I could moderate but I was just fooling myself. Every time I tried to moderate my drinking I ended up so far down the black hole I was looking at a different person. I realized I had no choice but to stay away from it. I can drink every now and then with friends but only when I'm with people that can help me stay in check. For example, I had a beer (which I don't usually drink) with my aunt at the family reunion in July. I only had one and she wouldn't let me have any more.

Sobriety is much better.

You know yourself better than anyone, and you came here for a reason. Alcohol knows no boundaries but ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS PROGRESSES. For some it takes a shorter amount of time than for others, but you can CAN BE SURE it will PROGRESS. Quit while you're ahead. It is only downhill from here. That is a promise.
I never thought I would be repeatedly arrested, I never planned to be an addict, I never dreamed I would get a DUI, lose my car, my family's trust in me, my short term memory, my self-respect. And yet, it could have been a lot worse. I count myself LUCKY. Imagine that.
My two cents: quit while you're ahead.
No judgments. Just heartfelt concern.