moderation

[mongar]

I drink about once a week or once every two weeks.  I drank a ridiculous amount in college, I would say above-and-beyond normal college binge drinking.  That was four years ago and since then I am much less depressed and do not feel the need to drink to the max every night (and with responsibilities, it's just not smart).  However, in social situations (music shows, parties, going out with friends), I usually end up drinking because I am not sure how to not drink when all of my friends are, and because I want to.  I wouldn't feel too bad about it, but I can't seem to moderate myself and typically end up blacking out and feeling really embarrassed about what bit of my behaviour I can recollect the next day.  Wednesday night I still feel bad about getting really emotional Saturday night at a bar/music show.  So, I guess the question is, does anyone have any moderation tips or advice or experience regarding this?  Honesty I'm not ready to be like, "no more booze for you" and maybe that is indicative of a problem?  

[Lasharon]

Sorry I'm just offering some advice and tips just because I also have a problem doesn't mean I can't share my advice on suggestions that I can think of at my best. I know maybe I might have a problem too but that doesn't mean I can't try to help other's with the same problem.

[ibizan]

it is sad that you have a lot of time to post posts way too long here that are clogging  up this forum and offer advice to others on controlled drinking when it is apparent you have a problem.I hope others can see the forest thru the trees with these long winded rationalizations.

[Lasharon]

Last thing I wanted to say believe it or not I have posted on here about my alcohol consumption and people say that for an alcoholic moderation just never works because alcoholics never stop at one drink usually that one drink turns into two, three, four five and most likely fifteen. They tell me the only way out is to quit booze of course I'm not ready to do that and don't think I will be anytime soon because I'm only 23 (will be 24 in march) and I like to have fun the alcohol tastes good to me and I get a nice buzz from it so I don't think I can imagine life without it. I drink a bottle of wine every weekend on 3 consecutive days. So I have decided for now I will party on and see what the future has to bring. I might visit my doctor and do a liver test though to see if any changes have occurred due to this. I would advise you to do the same if you're not going to quit booze since it will have an effect on your liver which often people don't know until it's too late. That's what I was told. If you're not ready then at least find other methods to try to slow this down, don't drink every day of the week because your liver needs some time to filter the poison's you give it and drinking every day of the week just doesn't give it that time because you're putting new poison's in it before it gets rid of the old poison's. Over time this builds up because your liver never gets a chance to recover and you get a fatty liver and then eventually cirrhosis.

[Lasharon]

I have the same problem I always think I can stop at like three drinks but when I uncork that wine bottle and take a few I don't stop till the bottle is completely empty. I am also in my early twenties and I drink a lot every weekend. The alcohol makes me feel good and gives me a nice buzz that's why I do it. I would suggest drinking a lot of water after you drink that may help the alcohol get absored better since your stomach is not just getting alcohol but it's getting  water too and don't drink on am empty stomach alcohol is harder on your liver when you drink on an empty stomach. If this becomes a habit and you're not ready to stop like I am then at least have days off like I do and drink a lot of water that might help clean your organs from all the junk you put into them and try to limit hard liquor have low alcohol content wines like I do sometimes like 7.5% and 6% or 15% being the highest. The lower the alcohol content the easier it is for your body to handle and don't chug your drinks drink them slowly cause chugging might make you even want to drink more since it'll be gone faster then if you drank it slowly.

[Jacker]

What happens when you try to nurse two or three and then stop?  I think this is a problem in America especially.  Teens are not taught how to drink moderately.  In my case, I would sneak alcohol and it was always for the purpose of getting a buzz or getting drunk.  I'm not talking about alcoholics however, and some people are just born with an "allergy" to alcohol.

Drinking a lot on weekends is pretty common for younger people, but in the early 20's it's time to taper off.  If you don't think you have alcoholic tendencies, then set a limit and see if you can stick to it.  If you can't, then I think you have your answer - in that case, you and alcohol simply do not get along.  

Moderation tips? I may be the wrong person to ask since I'm on an alcoholism board, but drink something with lower alcohol content. Lighter beers or some wine.  Or water down your drinks.  Limit the number of them and eat during the process.  

[ibizan]

in a social situation ur friends are not concerned about whether or not ur drinking......thats a  sidebar.....their biggest concern is what their drinking!U could stand there with tonic water/twist of lime or ginger ale and they'd be focused on their own drink!I don't give advice on controlled drinking aka moderation for i never succeeded at it from ages 14-28 no matter how hard i tried too!Guess u will find ur own way 2 do this...ur biggest concern should be are u driving after drinking?If so ponder this...how many times have u driven after drinking when u shouldn'tve been driving at all!hope all of u don't drive when u drink!have a stone cold sober DD chauffeur!

[Punkinhead75]

Hi mongar,

I've heard of people having a type of allergic reaction to alcohol.  When we drink one drink something happens inside us that makes us not want to stop.  The consequences of not being able to stop vary but the root cause is still the same.  I didn't always react that way to alcohol but over time I found that once I started I didn't stop until I passed out.  You may be able to moderate in regards to when you drink but once you start you may find it very difficult. In the last months of my drinking career I would become very angry and violent after I started drinking.  It was something I really had to look at and ask myself if drinking was really worth all the bad behavior and consequences.