Moderation after abstinence?

[WhoKnows19]

Has anyone gone back to having a healthy relationship with alcohol after having none at all for a while? Why did you quit and why did you start again? How did you feel about it?

I haven't drank alcohol for 6 years - trigger for quitting was a controlling relationship. Now I'm finally getting over the impact of this I'm trying to decide how I actually feel about my relationship with alcohol (and so many other things!) and don't have anyone to talk about this IRL so it'd be great to hear about anyone else's experiences.

Thanks so much x

Anyone?

Yes I have. I can drink normally now but for a while I wasn't sure I could. I had to examine the reasons I was drinking too much before I could address the problems which were causing me to reach for the wine.

I can go without, or only have a bit and leave the rest, or just have soft drinks out, like a normal person!

Yes, I was a terrible binge drinker on nights out, getting so drunk I would black out and not know what I was doing for hours making a fool of myself, it happened every time, I realised why the reasons I was doing it,

1. Social anxiety
2. Boredom, I drank more to have more fun when I should have not gone out or just gone home
3. I have autism, so I realised, I didn't want to really go out, I just did it as that's 'what people do' I was overly anxious and trying to fit in by drinking more

I stopped drinking for about 5 years after a terrible party one night but when I started again I was right back to square one
But during lockdown I learnt to drink in moderation at home, I count the units, I know I can have about 6 units and be fine the next day, but it's enough to feel happy relaxed and tipsy, I dont go out anymore and if I did I think I would either not drink or stick to my 6 unit rule and if I'm bored, go home

So yes I think it can be done, you need to identify why you drank too much and change the pattern of behaviour

I was wondering this. I was relying to much on drink, and starting to have blackouts. On the 1st January I decided to try and do dry January and have kept going- I'm now on day 143 sober.
I occasionally think it would be really nice to have a glass of wine with a meal if we went out rather than a coke or water- but am not sure if I would just slip back to using alcohol as a crutch again- is it worth the risk? Equally though I'm not sure I would ever have said I was alcohol dependant so would hope I could moderate in the future like a regular person!

My belief is if you’ve successfully gone without for so long why take the risk? Moderation is great if it stays that way but so often the lines become blurred and the bad habits slowly creep back. Your liver and well-being will be most grateful you stayed off it.

If I hadn't had a drink for 6 years I'd be tempted to leave it alone forever but I was very alcohol dependant and now drink like a normal person. Wrote a book about it. It's free on Amazon kindle for next few days if you're interested.

www.amazon.co.uk/Alcohol-Reconsidered-Moderation-Lesley-Miller-ebook/dp/B093LTPF2T/ref=sr_1_1?crid=97I78XGW5T3V&keywords=alcohol+reconsidered+book&qid=1655539194&sprefix=alcohol+recon%2Caps%2C70&sr=8-1