[Mercat]

I’ll read this later.

[SIDENET]

Many of these people need not give up alcohol altogether

That's right. I cut back to only one beer per day with no problem.

[DainBramage]

My wife drinks so much I feel the need to join her just to converse on the same level.

God I love that woman, I just dont know what else to do.

[Daffynition]

[BBell]

I don't remember the exact questions that were asked of you to determine if you were an alcoholic but I do remember that I would answer back with this scenario:

I don't drink much and never to excess.

I went to a party with some friends whom I always trusted and enjoyed the company of.

I drunk more than usual, let myself go and ended up making a mockery of myself.

The next day I felt very bad. Between the hangover and the remorse I felt from the night before I could not see going to work or following through with any of my social obligations.

I laid around all day feeling sorry for my self but by the next day I was back to normal with the realization that I was in fact an alcoholic.

[SonOfDarkSkies]

I cut back to two drinks a day (or less) and was shocked how easy it was. I was also shocked at how much more I enjoy the "ritual" of drinking when there is a strict limit on it.

Additionally, cutting back (I used to drink 3 to 4 drinks a day) was incredibly empowering.

BTW, the way I cut back was to first reduce the pace to no more than one drink an hour and then planned an activity that I could move on to after the cocktail hour (or two). I usually lay out reading material on the bedside table or find a good article on-line and set it up on the laptop computer and put the laptop where I want to settle in until bedtime.

What prompted me to cut back was that I noticed that there were times the next day when I just didn't feel as good as I could.

I feel MUCH better now.

[libertarian27]

I cut way back on alcohol.
I drink MGD-64(Miller Genuine Draft-64)

At 64 calories and (2.8%)half the alcohol content of a light beer, I can enjoy myself when out with friends, drink far less alcohol and lose weight at the same time.

It doesn’t taste half bad - and I hate the other Miller products!

[Thrownatbirth]

My AA group laughs out loud at the notion of “controlled drinking”. The results for us are always the same.

[stylin19a]

my doctor told me to cut my alcohol intake by 20%....
so I switched from 100 proof to 80 proof.

Thank you very much. I’ll be here all week .
Try the liver, tip your waitress, have a safe drive home.

[uncbob]

IMHO Alcoholism is generic

THere are 2 types of people with the genetic

1. Those that recognize early on that they have a problem and abstain

2. Those that only recognize they have a problem after they have ruined their lives and those of others and need help because they can;t abstain on their own so they need AA

3. Those that say either refuse to admit they have a problem even in the face of all the misery they cause or can’t stop no matter how many times they say they try and it ends up killing them

[Vaduz]

The bottle is mighiter than the quiver.

WC Fields

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

In my younger days, I might have been accused (especially while in Nam) of "abusing" alcohol, but now as a respectable Seasoned Citizen, I simply imbibe moderately and can say I have not been inebriated for some 25 years.

I can say that without my 1 to 2 glasses of red wine with dinner, I could survive, but why go through my remaining days, whatever the good Lord gives me, absent the pleasure this little indulgence provides?

I know this is a serious topic, but a certain amount of levity is called for in some circumstances, thus if someone were to ask me if I had a "drinking problem" I think my retort would be: "Nope, I've never had a problem drinking."

[Ditter]

I wish I could drink. Everyone is having such a good time and all relaxed and I have my sparkling water. Even a small amount of alcohol gives me a headache, not the next morning like a hangover, I mean right then as soon as I drink it. I gave up even sipping anything alcoholic when a sip of my sons beer started to close my throat up. I am ALWAYS the designated driver.

[Mac from Cleveland]

Nothing new under the sun—There’s this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moderation_Management

The founder was a woman who had a drinking problem but thought AA was too strict, and there had to be a way of moderation. She, as the Wikipedia article states, decided later to abstain totally, but relapsed, drove drunk and killed two people in a head-on crash.

I think they are still in existence as a group.

[freedomlover]

Bookmark ping

These articles come out every year or so.

[b4its2late]

To some it’s a six-pack, to me it’s a Support Group. Salvation in a can!

[Big Horn]

AA saved my life 30 years ago. It is not so important that I live , but I have had a super great 30 years.

[Jeff Chandler]

AA does not release actual scientific statistics, so their claims are just that-claims. Nothing they say can be backed up by facts.

Statistics have been collected on the recidivism of people convicted of drunk driving. Those who were made to receive psychological counseling do slightly better than those who did hot. The group that does the worst by far was those who were made to enter AA.

A good read:

[Jerry Attrick]

After 23 years of sobriety, I don’t think that I’ll test this “theory”. I have personally never seen any alcoholic “contol” their drinking.

Next study results soon to be released: “Meth users MAY be able to control their usage”.

[meadsjn]

My grandmother lived to 92 without ever experiencing insulin shock or diabetic coma.

And the most odd thing -- she never had diabetes.

The author of this article is a bonafide idiot.