You could check out HAMS Harm Reduction, or Moderation Management. That works for some folks. Good luck.

http://www.hamsnetwork.org/
http://www.moderation.org/

FuzzyWuzzy2,

Thank you so much for this. I had never heard of HAMS before.
I will definitely check it out, and Moderation Management too.

Hello Needhelp4me2quit,

I dont know the answer to your question but here is my understanding of it.

If you are what is sometimes referred to as a social or a normal drinker then you can decide to have a couple of drinks and leave it at that and you wont be troubled by your decision. If however your relationship with alcohol has changed and you are no longer a social drinker then you are in a new ball game.

I have often quit drinking for Lent, with varying results. Sometimes I did not take a drink until Easter and I was quite pleased. Other times I started drinking again after a week or two, even though I had decided not to drink until Easter. Either way, once I started drinking again I was right back to where I had left off. Although I did not know it at the time my relationship with alcohol had changed in two ways in the mind and in the body.

The change that occurs in the body is that some drinkers develop an abnormal physical reaction to alcohol. One or two drinks leads to a strong craving for more alcohol and just one drink becomes many more. Anyone who develops this craving for alcohol cannot go back to normal drinking because one drink always sets off the craving. Ask yourself if this sort of drinking is familiar to you?

A person who has developed this reaction to alcohol cannot drink safely at all and complete abstinence is the only answer. I think that for you it may be an "all or nothing" proposition but that is just my opinion.

PJ54.... That's just not true.
Many problem drinkers are able to learn to moderate.

It's the engine that kills you, not the caboose

Right FW2. Like you said some "problem drinkers" can moderate their alcohol consumption. An alcoholic, in my opinion, can not and I've met hundreds of them as they came through the treatment center, as well, as at AA meetings for the last 22yrs..

gr8tful2b... that's called anecdotal evidence based on a skewed opinion.

I agree with PJ. You drink to self medicate so you definitely have a problem, and may need help to quit.

It might be a good idea to visit your doctor and get your liver checked.

That's just my opinion.

God Bless!

A skewed opinion? Coming from you FW2, I'll take that as a compliment. Have a good rest of the day.

As far as I'm concerned based on my observations, if you are truly an alcoholic, then you cannot moderate for long before it gets out of hand again.

There is so much great feedback here. I thank you all.
Yes - I have had my liver checked. At one point, it was a bit high in one area (something called ALT). So, I went a couple of months without drinking, and it was back in the normal range again.

I think I'm in the situation where I can control myself for long periods, but then escalate. I get frustrated and ashamed, and control myself again. It's a repeating cycle.

The answer may be abstinence, but I'm not ready to go there quite yet. I'm starting with a 10 day "drying out" period, and plan to use this time to do a lot of reading and reflecting. This is the first time I've sought "outside" assistance for my problem.

I'd say that just the fact that you pause at the idea of abstinence means that you are a little too dependent upon it.

How about abstaining from cauliflower? Issue? Didn't think so.

What IS it about it that you don't want to give up?

Maybe you're drinking for some other reasons. Why is it five and not just one?

I think you're in a danger zone... Best to just cut it out, IMHO.

I too would be able to quit for periods but would always go back. Only once when the pain was so bad that I was just "done" did I decide that it was not worth it.

I personally can't moderate , or manage. If I have one I am off to the races.

I too had never seeked out help before I came here on June of 12. I then found a few other Alchies and found out how to cope. See it was what I'm escaping from , not the booze. I just used booze to not feel life. Booze was a symptom. The real issue was my alcoholism. Deal with the why and the issue is able to be cured.

Good luck and keep us posted

1is2many

And for me the idea of one drink is an absurdity. I want oblivion if I drink. 1-2

I want to underscore 1-2's final thought--that having one is "absurdity". That is how I think; whenever I have thoughts like "I wish I could drink like normal people" it is immediately followed by a "Then I probably would never drink at all, because what's the point if you're not going to drink to 'oblivion!'"