Southern Arizona. I am a desert rat and love the southwest (as long as I avoid the current politics). I spent many years in Seattle when I was in college and loved that, as well....
I have started wearing turquoise, and that is also my screen name. I've never had any turquoise jewelry before, and so it is a special constant reminder to me to always be honest with myself. Turquoise gems go back hundreds - maybe thousands - of years in folklore as a symbol of protection and honesty. Perhaps it's silly, but for now it's really working as a very real tool to keep me on track. Whenever I question what I am doing or feeling, or whenever I have cravings, I reach up and touch my earrings. I have kept on track with my goal of moderate drinking and self-honesty for a month and a half now.....
Thanks, Jessica. The unconditional support on this site is so great. This is my second day sober on my second "sobriety round" since I joined this forum. Right when I joined, I went nineteen days sober, followed by several weeks of very moderate drinking. I haven't had a single binge since my first logon here, and this time I am planning to go seven days sober before continuing with moderate drinking. I love the support from my Moga buddies - even (and especially) those who have decided that this isn't the time yet for them to try it. I hope everyone is having a good, healthy weekend!
I'm thinking I should do a sobriety challenge for myself every couple of months, just to keep me honest about my ability to say no. I think I'll call it my Moga Challenge.
Jessica is right - sticking to 2 beers in a situation like that is not bad at all, Marylizy! If you can do that every time you go out with friends, you are doing well. Keep on keepin' on.
BP, as always, I am amazed at your control. How are the withdrawals from your medication going? Any better? And Camiol & Hope? How are your weekends coming along? I love knowing that we all keep coming back here to be honest with ourselves through the good circumstances and bad. I always look forward to hearing from you all.
I'm totally avoiding all my trigger situations right now, which is helping me a lot. Watching the Olympics has been a fun distraction. They will continue during my entire road trip, which will be a much better way to spend my evenings visiting family and friends than going out for dinners / drinks.
I am really emotional right now, for a couple of reasons. First - when I suggested this challenge, my first inner reaction was the same as all those years when I would start a new diet. "I'm starting on Friday, so I might as well go all out now before it starts." Then, I thought, "I know better than that, and besides, I'll be on this road trip, so it will be easy for me." And then, I thought.... "I wonder if any of the Mogas will backfire because of this, and end up drinking too much and feeling guilty about it." But I brushed those misgivings aside. Perhaps it was a big mistake to suggest this challenge.
No. It has to be a learning experience for all of us, especially me. My mistake was assuming that just because I'm at a place where I feel like I'm ready to do this, everyone else can be ready for it right now. I do agree with foxman that there are some people who are more easily and hopelessly addicted than others. I don't think that all people who are at the point of problem drinking are incapable of returning to moderation, but I believe it IS true for people who truly have the "allergy" or brain pattern, or OCD genetics -- whatever it is.
The solution is getting there. We each need to find out for ourselves -- to the depths of our own souls -- if we are one of those people. We each need to know if we have any chance of controlling that compulsion, before we will be willing to give up alcohol forever. If we aren't sure, then we will probably continue to drink in the hopes that we aren't. The beauty of this forum is the ability to talk through our attempts as many times as we need to, without judgment or lectures, until we know the answer for ourselves.
So, fellow Mogas, no judgments, no failures, no mistakes. This is a learning experience, and we are each at a point tonight of greater wisdom than we were yesterday. Mostly I'm humbled by everyone's honesty and willingness to come back and post to this thread. What a strong group...
And Spiritwolf, welcome.... As you have probably quickly found out, this is a site with no judgment, only support. Whatever your story is, someone on this site will undoubtedly be able to relate to you. Read through the forums until you find a thread that "speaks to you" and then join in. We are all in the process of overcoming our dependence on alcohol, one way or another. No need to be nervous -- we are all very, very human here.
P.S. I ate WAY too much when I went out to dinner tonight. Although I didn't drink, I am stuffed to the point of being very uncomfortable, and pissed off at myself for my lack of control over my diet. I have been at a healthy weight for over a year, and I don't do this regularly -- but I do it occasionally. Tomorrow I plan to eat very healthy, and get back to where I was before this evening. Does it mean I'm a hopeless food addict, with no hope of ever controlling my food intake? Or is the rare "lapse"okay, as long as it's infrequent and doesn't impact my health? Any thoughts on this?
Good morning, Mogas. It's good to be here. My eating question was actually kind of rhetorical, trying to compare it to a day of drinking a little too much. I'm not talking about drinking to the point of blacking out, or causing problems in your personal life, or being hungover the next day. I've mostly made my peace with the occasional day that I eat more than I want to, because in general I am very happy with my physical appearance. It doesn't mean I'm a failure at eating healthy, and it certainly doesn't make me give up entirely and go back to my old ways of eating. Compare this to a day you might have a bit too much alcohol, after many days of either abstinence or very moderate drinking. Does that mean you're a failure at moderation?
Drinking too much on a regular basis -- well, that's why we're here. The Mogas are all looking for ways to get healthy, which might (or might not) include permanent abstinence. The thing is; we have all been drinking considerably less since we joined this site. Right? That is such a good start. And Vicenza is right -- the "Toolbox" section on this site has tons of good ideas to keep us on that track. Hopefully each day and each week will find us making more progress in that direction.
Maybe every one of us is destined to become the utter moderation failures that AA would have us think, but if that's the case I have to prove it to myself through my own experience, instead of having it lectured to me from a book or someone else's experience. I appreciate how the health educators on this site constantly ask questions about how we feel, or what we are planning to do with our new information. It is a very personal, scientific quest for each one of us.
Perhaps a year from now some (or all) of us will have decided that total and permanent abstinence is our only answer. Reaching that conclusion through my own experience will be a hugely powerful argument -- and honestly the only argument that will work for me. I do hope everyone is truthfully recording all their drinking in the diary on this site. It helps so much to be able to look back at it and see your patterns. The patterns will indicate over time if moderation is or isn't working for each one of us.....
I think that Matt is right. Let's continue our discussion here, and start a thread dedicated to MoGa - drinking in moderation. Anyone picking up this thread from here on can go back to the "New To This Site" by Camiol, to see where this discussion started.
It’s been a while since you were active on this site. Please extend your session below
You have been logged out due to inactivity.
Please sign back in.
We use cookies to help us learn about how our platform is used and how we can improve your experience. To
learn more please see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
