Experience quitting drinking?

In My Humble Opinion
61

In case anyone was wondering, things are going fine with me in terms of moderating. I have been drinking moderately for 18 weeks since my initial 30-some days of abstinence. So all in all it has been slightly over 5 months since my last drunk.

My personal limits are no more than 4 drinks on any one day, no more than 14 in a week, and no more than 2 days in a row.

The only one of those I have broken was on Labor Day weekend, I drank each day Sat-Mon. But I discussed it with Ms. D ahead of time. We had plans for each of the 3 days. And tho I was willing and considered myself able to abstain any one of those days if I really felt it necessary, we decided it wasn’t. So I had 3, 3, and 4 drinks. 2 of the days were several-hour-long cookouts, and the third we had company at our ome for dinner.

I have had alcohol an average of just over 3 days per week, and an average of 9.6 drinks per week.

It is a very workable system. There are times that I want a bit of a buzz, and I can put my first couple of drinks down fast. But when I hit 4, I know I have to stop. So I never get sloppy like I used to. At times, I guess I may use my limit as a goal - which isn’t the best thing. But more often I stop short, at 2 or 3. And I am a lot more conscious of drinking NA and eating while drinking. Moreover, I concentrate on tasting what I am drinking, instead of simply throwing it towards the back of my throat.

I really like the taste of a good beer, a fine merlot, or a refreshing gin and tonic. And I enjoy the accompanying sensations. I am glad I came upon a way I can continue to experience that responsibly and healthily.

I think I am well on my way to creating new healthier drinking habits to replace my old ones. I strongly recommend Moderation Management to anyone who thinks they may want to cut down on their drinking.

62

No argument here. I would just add that Moderation Management is not a viable option for alcoholics. Audrey Kishline, the founder of MM, went on to kill a child and an adult while driving drunk, and was convicted of two counts of vehicular homicide. MM sources state that Kishline had been trying to abstain from alcohol for a few months prior to the accident, and suggest one might attribute her behavior to this abstinence and subsequent “overdrinking”. MM suggests her attending AA during this time may have played a role.

Personally I don’t buy their argument.

http://www.positiveatheism.org/rw/kishpeel.htm

In My Humble Professional opinion.

QtM, MD

63

Both sides of my family are flush with alcoholics. I started drinking heavily in HS and continued in college. I don’t think I ever was an alcoholic, per se, but whenever I drank it was to get whaling drunk.

One night at school I was particularly wasted and ran into (literally) another student I had been trying to find a way to ask out on a date but thoroughly embarassed myself instead. I thought hard about the outcomes of my behavior and that I was tempting fate given my family history and have not had a drink since. (Fall '84)

I suppose I’m missing out on the health (and taste) benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, but I really don’t believe that I could drink in moderation.