I am not a "real alki" but.... have had my issues and really practice moderation.. My take is if you are a real alcoholic there will never be such a thing as moderation... Only what I have learned from the wise ones here. Good luck on whatever path you decide to travel.. we are here for you...
lolo

yeah, the operative word here is "recovering." if i'm a recovering alcoholic i cannot have any alcohol. nada. no mas. however, some people do manage to do moderate drinking. i am not one of them....

I agree with Lolo, moderation for a true alcoholic is virtually impossible ..There is a saying "one is to many and one hundred is not enough"..If this applies to you..you may have to re think your stratedgy. Feel free to message me if you need to discuss it further..either way be safe..Les

two words that do not belong in the same sentence
1. alcoholic
2. moderation

That's a hard one there. I can't drink in moderation so I just can't drink. My Dad drinks in moderation but it's EVERY day and he is also an alcoholic. I think it's when you can't stop for a period of time personally. But that's just my thought I'm sure many here will disagree.

two more words that only an alcoholic would use in the same sentence....

1. baffling
2. intuitively

Jolly.

That is how my Dad is also.. I guess for me it comes down to brutal honesty.. No kidding yourself. Straight from the heart. Like D mentioned, you said recoverd.. be proud!
lolo

I tried moderating for years.It just don't work for this drunk.Once I start,there's no telling where it will end.For an alcoholic,there is no such thing as moderation.

ty lolo My saying was always "let's go for one....one dozen" and that we did. Nice to know where my car is these days. lol

Everytime I've tried to "moderate" I end up on a binge that could last days, weeks, months. I'm alot safer sipping on Tonic and Cranberry juice with cherries! :)
Plus, like Jolly said I know where my car is, how I got home and what I did and said the night before. Life is good!

It still intuigues the shit out of me.... how there are different levels of this.. Why one is affected more than other. I guess I try and overanalyze it and so many factors in play.. Very, very interesting though.

You know lolo, I've asked myself the EXACT same question. I really wonder if it does come down to our brain chemistry and genetics. I mean, out of all my friends when I was single we'd go out bar hopping EVERY night. We all got married had kids moved on and out of 5 of us, I'm the only one that got hooked. Now, maybe they hide it better but I really don't think they have a problem. If we have a girls night out, they'd have a few at the bar and go home. I'd hav a few, have to stop and get more and continue on. It sucks and I hate it. I won't lie I LOVE my beer, but it doesn't love me back! LOL

I think some people can do it, but it depends on whether you were able to drink moderately before your problems with real dependance and regular drunkeness. If you have a previous history of moderation, it may be possible and I know people who have simply "toned down" over the years.
If drinking always leads you down the same path (escalating quantities until you drink too much and too often), then you're best staying away from the stuff, period.

This kind of goes back to an older post that I had - where I believe some people are genetically predisposed, and others simply develope the problem with time.

No matter what, if you've been caught in a cycle of heavy drinking, you need a good long break with no alcohol in order to end that cycle.

Some people subscribe to Alcoholism as a genetic desease..I read an article last week that the Japanese are trying to isolate the gene to remove it..Not sure myself..

It definetely has to be a mixture.. something ... cause I have seen people be on top of the world, have it all and then BAM. Lost it all! They didn't chose it that is for sure.. Alcoholism runs rampant in my family and I have an addictive personality but seem to take it only soooo far, then pull back. It's like its their but not.. I dunno. Not making sense.. sorry! I guess I dibble dabble and walk the slipper slope..
I won't lie either, I LOVE my beer too.. LOL.. Honesty is the best policy for me at this point.. and of course I cannot leave out my Coach.. GNR.