Personal Growth Success

Some people who have had some problems with their drinking might be asking themselves: should I stop drinking entirely, or is there a possibility that I can control it?

First of all, if you figure out a way to moderate successfully then this is awesome. Chances are that you’re not a serious alcoholic if you can limit your drinking and find a way to have fun with it and not lose control anymore. For the rest of us, our drinking problem is defined by the fact that we cannot control our intake – that is the whole crux of the problem right there. So at this point, most of us will be forced to give abstinence a try.

Now this can be deceptive because most addicts and alcoholics actually have the ability to exercise some control for a short time and hold things together. Some alcoholics can even control their drinking for several months or even years at a time. However, take these next two points into account: One, they will not be able to have a good time if they are actively trying to limit how much they consume, and will only be able to limit it through a large effort on their part. And second, no true alcoholic will really hold up with this limited drinking forever; pretty soon they will go overboard and lose control. Ultimately the only solution for a true alcoholic is to stop drinking.

So the bottom line is that if try to moderate your alcohol intake and you find you can do it well over a very long time period then this is good news for you. But be honest with yourself and if you slip up or end up drinking way more than you wanted to then own up to it and realize that you have lost control. Saying that you can control it “when you really want to” is probably denial at that point, and you need to realize that most “normal people” (meaning non-alcoholics) are pretty much always controlling their drinking by default. In other words, normal drinkers don’t have to struggle to control their intake. If you do, then this could be a big wake up call for you.