Hey Mogas,
I had an unexpected glass of wine last night. My husband came home with a single bottle of my favorite red wine, poured each of us one glass, then deliberately (and making sure that I knew he was doing it) put the bottle away and out of sight. He told me it was because we both earned it
and he was feeling very appreciative of me. It was such a nice gesture, although my feeling when I took my first sip was a bit apprehensive, because it was absolutely unplanned for me. The glass was fairly large - it's closer to 10 oz. than 5 oz., so in keeping with my self-honesty, I need to count it as two drinks. But it was lovely to drink a glass of wine with him while the kids were getting themselves ready for bed. And I was satisfied at the end with one glass, and I believe that he was, as well. I think I need to buy us some 5 oz glasses, so that I don't try and fool myself like I have for so many years.
Yay, Hope, for staying sober last night. Marylizy and all the rest of us, maybe we should try to look at our drinking in terms of how many oz (or ml) we had. A standard drink is equal to 12 oz (355 ml.) beer with 5% alcohol; 5 oz. (150 ml.) glass of wine (12.5% alcohol); 1.5 oz. (45 ml.) of 80 proof liquor (40% alcohol).
Saying that I drank a half a bottle of wine is different than saying I drank two and a half glasses (12.5 oz, or 325 ml = 2.5 servings) -- even though it's exactly the same thing. Is this a lapse? Not unless I do it more than three times a week! Moderate drinking is defined on this site as three or less drinks in one day, and nine or less drinks within one week. Saying that I had a mojito or a margarita could mean anything. The question is how many standard drinks did I have by the end of the evening? Was it three or less?
If you DO drink tonight, Camiol, make sure it is planned when you start! Decide exactly how many oz/ml of alcohol you WANT to drink, and put the rest away before it can tempt you. Make you virgin mojitos easy to access and ready to go. Moga is all about learning moderation, and I know that it's possible for some people. A binge eater is not someone who has a normal dessert with most dinners, and occasionally eats too much! Even if that person spent most of their life overweight, they can learn to eat moderately. The same can be true for drinking, for many people. In my mind, this forum is the way for me to find out if I am a person who can do it. Being honest with you guys on this site and honestly tracking my drinking patterns, will surely tell me if I can drink moderately.
