Snowflake's Chance in Hell

[simeybear]

Good luck Barb!!
mar

[mamatee]

I want to be a pariah! Truthfully, I came into this wanting to moderate, but I'm not ready to try it yet. And, wierd thing is - I'm enjoying abstinence, really truly loving it. However, I want to be able to moderate - that's what brought me to this board today. Want to know more about it as prep for the future.
Thanks!

[cjam21]

I for one am only hoping for now to cut down and control and make goals for each day - no I'm not to two yet, but i am proud to have had a few days where it was significantly less than my normal ten and my supplements are not here yet. Hoping to have the funds to order CD's soon. Have not made the big step toward thirty days with nothing. I keep going through my list of why and drinking lots of water- and making baby steps and I am looking forward to the day when i can have two or none and still be having a great time with my friends or remembering my time with my kid!

[Pebbles]

Tawny, I'd like to thank you for this thread too. As a highly regarded member, you've got people rethinking long term mods... and that is what I for one came to MWO for.

By following the program I am truly moderating now and have shifted my mindset to being able to really enjoy one or two drinks and then stop. When I was thinking I had to Abstain, all I thought about was drinking and NOT drinking, in a way I was more addicted trying to abstain. I was also addicted to this site and I think that's maybe the point.

Now I'm not so obsessed with Not Drinking, I'm out and about doing stuff not staying in logged on to the site. I still love the site, love to see what people are up to and want to pop in regularly, but now I can actually switch the laptop off and get on with something whereas at the start I couldn't, so maybe that's why Long Term Mods is a quiet Group?
lots of love
xxxx

[nancy]

I am sure successful moderation is a seemingly elusive goal for many of us here.

can you please post something like : Tawneys top tips for moderating

[MKR]

Hey Pebbles, That is exactly how I felt. If I was to abstain I was going to think about it a whole lot more than letting it fall of the radar and just have the occasional drink. Good Job.

Nancy, I posted this in long term mods one year anniversary. I feel these are all little tips that helped me get over the hump:

The CD's were the biggie for me. I just had that switch click for me about 2 weeks into them.
Wanting sobriety helped. Looking at MODS as though I am really in ABS with the occasional evening of a drink or two is a good attitude for me.
Getting into an exercise routine at my bewitching hour helped change my habit.
Not having my favorite alcohol around the house really helps keep the demons at bay.
With this program in place I was able to stop smoking January 1st of this year! Other than these boards I have now thrown all addictions away!!
Getting up and feeling great, seeing the whites of my eyes so white and clear along with my skin being super healthy now - that helps too!

THE NUMBER ONE keep me on track item is this board. Coming here, hearing stories, receiving the constant love and support from you wonderful members, offering support, and being accountable on the drink tracker probably plays the biggest role in my success.

I know you can do it Nancy! xo Mary

[Mighty Mouse II]

Hi Everybody, been away for awhile, missed all of you a great deal!!!

Nancy, you can do it! Everyone here has great advice about moderating! For me what worked was setting daily goals that were achievable but challenging -- coming on this board and talking to everybody about what was working and what wasn't working and why. Finding my "hot buttons" that would make me want to drink and then create ways to plan for them so that I could get past them. Then, once I would master those goals, I'd make new, more challenging ones until I finally got where I wanted to be. It takes time, but basically it creates behavioral modification changes that last.

Tawny, this is a great thread. Thanks for starting it.

LOL,
MM

[eustacia]

Great to see so many of my old pals here!

Tawny and everyone: moderation can work if you work the program. I am writing this even though I let myself off the mod bus late in March and, I think, once drank four drinks within 24 hours. But the kicker is that I didn't have to have those drinks. Small admission: several of my glasses of wine over the course of the month were soporifics--3 a.m. gulps in order to get at least a couple hours of sleep. In general, however, I chose to let myself off the bus when I drank and I had fun! I've been away so much over the last few weeks that I haven't been keeping a log of my drinks but I now have access to my computer and I can imagine that my April log will look a lot like my March log--I'll drink some days and not drink others, and my average drink count will be somewhat under one drink each day.

MKR--I've not told you this but I've been so proud of your ability not only to control your drinking, even when your life was not giving you the easiest time, but to cease smoking. I've never smoked but my, vibrant, life-embracing mom was unable to shake the nicotine habit, and I lost her to that addiction. My heart will forever be rent by the cruelty her smoking imposed on her body and by her untimely death, but you have spared your loved ones that hearbreak. Kudos, kid! And thank you for reposting your anniversary account. Words like yours give relative newbies like me courage to fight the break the grip of this Lorelei of chemicals.

Pebbles, Mike, Monica, Judie, wwbarb, Satori and everyone else (sorry, my brain bogs down with long lists of names), so good to see you again!

My love to all.

E

P.S. to Nancy-- You GO, girl!

[Elizabeth]

Hi Tawny I hope to be where you are one day. The memories of bad experiences (topped by the last one!) scares the hell out of me, but as you know I tried Moderation this Easter weekend and I remained sober. I guess at this stage I will abstain most of the time WITH PRE-PLANNED occassions where I will slowly keep training myself to moderate. I have a long long way to go before the fear leaves me. Reprograming myself is the key word to Moderation and I've yet to see whether it'll work for me. Big, big gaps of no booze will be the very least I opt for though. I need to know you guys are there.

[Mighty Mouse II]

Elizabeth, it sounds like you are doing great!!! I think you are right, moderation does require reprogramming and developing strong behavioral moderation skills. But it sounds like you are well on your way. And we will be here for you!!! Good luck!

E - Its good to hear from you again too! I hope things are going better for you!

LOL to all!!!

MM