Sometimes I think I can control it should I decide to take a drink but that's my ego putting those thoughts in my head. I listen to them, and then I recall my past experience with it, what it did to me, what it did to my parents and many friends, and then I ask my Higher Power to remove the thought and place it in the bad thought box, buried deep in the ground.

~~~Peace~~~

I sure would have a drink now and then, if I could control it. I don't see control as a possibility from what I know about brain chemistry.

I do wonder, if I was not an alcoholic would, I have gone through the quest to fix my troubled psyche. Recovery from alcohol had its blessings.

I agree with Imper, recovery from alcohol, did have it's blessings. Without it, I never would have received the treatment for ptsd which was a big part of my addiction.

Do you not drink because you think alcohol is harmful, or is the only reason you stopped because you believe you can't control the amount of alcohol you drink?

The reason I stopped drinking is because I KNOW I can't control the amount of alcohol I drank.

If I KNEW with certainty that I could enjoy a singe top-shelf margarita the next time my husband and I have "date night" at our favorite Tex-Mex restaurant, there's a good chance I might order one. If I KNEW for certain that I could share a pitcher of beer with my bowling team next Tuesday night (league-play you know) with out having the buy a 12pk on the way home, I probably would.

However, I KNOW I find it extremely difficult to control the amount of booze I consume once I have the first drink. That is why I don't drink.

I don't think alcohol in responsible amounts is harmful at all.

Even though it seems to me that my life without alcohol is clearly much better than it was with alcohol, I suppose I would enjoy attaining that feeling of drunkenness again too. After all, that was pretty much the reason I drank before. I liked feeling drunk. Just got tired of paying the price.

When I could not control the amount I drank, I knew I had a problem. When I saw my drinking progress from a weekend thing to a daily thing over the years, the harmful consequences mainefested. So I would sat I quit for both reasons. In a nutshell, I quit to save my life.

PJ -- I did not want to keep drinking

I wanted to get sober as my consumption of alcohol was ruining the quality of my life. On so many levels ranging from physical to mental to spiritual health.
destructive force in my life and I needed to change. I'm so grateful to be sober.

Why did I put the grog down? Because I did not want someone else raising my children.

How did I quit? Through the help of others and the AA program I came to understand what was happening inside me and what effect alcohol had on me.

G8

I quit because I couldn't guarantee how much I would drink or what I would do while under the influence. I have heard it said that if you have to control it, you're already out of control. The thing is, normal, social drinkers don't need to control it at all. They have a drink or two, and that's honestly enough for them. They have no problem leaving a half-finished drink on the table. I don't understand that. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a glass of wine and really, truly not want any more.

I used to think I wished I could drink like a normal person, but in fact, what I really wanted was to be able to get drunk without any consequences. Whatever pleasant little buzz I might get from a single drink would never satisfy me. I prefer to drink until I pass out, and trying to control it just pisses me off. Best for me to simply enjoy life without the booze.

I quit because it was no longer fun, I was gaining weight, I couldn't sleep at night, I depended on it... the list goes on.

Desperation to not live like I was living gave me the willingness to do whatever I had to do to stop. I wanted to stop long before I did.

The physical harm I was doing to myself was never a consideration. Didn't slow me down at all. I couldn't imagine a life without alcohol.

I drank long enough to get me to a place where I couldn't live with it or without it. But like okiyoe said the drinking was just a symptom. In order to stay stopped, I had to address the root issues that I drank at. For me it was AA and therapy.

I had an obsession for alcohol. I was powerless over it. I could drink normally and respectfully 95% of the time. Go weeks and months without an "issue". But beyond my control, there would be a time, when I would be unstoppable.

I self medicated with it. Now I face life and conquer everything without it.

I'm convinced it would have gotten worse, more progressive.

I don't think about alcohol. Don't want it. Can be around it. It's poison.

PJ54 wrote: " Could not get through a day without finding a reason to drink, even when I decided that I needed to quit.

Could not stop drinking once I started.

The amount that I drank kept increasing at an alarming rate.

Health was beginning to suffer. One example from many - I could feel my internal organs being scorched as the booze went down. That is one strange feeling.

It was costing a fortune. I was considering re-mortgaging the house to pay for it and to sell the idea to my wife as paying for the kids college costs.

Drinking and driving every day and was close to getting caught three times in a few months.

Drinking at work and leaving work early to drink.

Could see that all of those bad things that happened to other people but that never happened to me were on the near horizon.

Was there physically but not in any other way for my family.

Was existing from day to day instead of living.

Had become a slave to alcohol."

- I couldnt have said it better myself.

Great synopsis Patton! Thanks.

Seems like most people stop mostly because of the many negative effects they have experienced more so than simply the belief that they have no control.