Alcohol and Moderation
04/08/2011
Moderation is not always an option.
It is hard not to keep running into those stories that say that "moderate" alcohol consumption is good for your health - moderate meaning one drink a day, according to the health experts. However one drink a day is simply not an option for a recovering, or even "fully recovered" alcoholic.
Very early in sobriety, news articles, TV commercials, smells, songs and almost anything can be a threat to cause a relapse, and should be avoided at all costs. But the longer they are abstinent, the effect of these triggers diminish. An important thing to remember is this: the fact that you can't drink doesn't mean that nobody can. A glass of red wine is very good for many things - heart, digestion, etc. That's A glass of red wine. For an alcoholic there is no such thing. A glass is good - a bottle is not!
It may seem like in everything you watch and read people are just pouring down the alcohol, but it is important to stick with it. Many people find that even going into supermarket aisles where alcohol is shelved can be taxing, or that even the smell of alcohol can "set them off."
A good guideline is to put yourself somewhere else. Go to a meeting. Call someone. Walk down a different street. Stop watching TV or listening to certain kinds of music and try playing games with your kids, play cards, do crossword puzzles, walk around the block, bicycle across town, meet other people for coffee or lunch. These avoidance tactics will start off as the only control for the obsession, but you will find that they work.
