I'm going to wade into this subject and then edit it as I go along today.
You can comment or not, but this isn't the finished product.
Is there a difference between occasional drinking
and "moderation"
and do we care?
The term "moderation" likely comes to us from Moderation Management,
one of the earlier proponents of drinking moderately,
as opposed to total abstinence;
a belief that is gaining acceptance and popularity in addiction control circles.
Moderation is defined by the individual.
It can mean anything from damage control (harm minimizatioin)
which is basically drinking less than the amount that usually gets you in trouble or is harming your body;
to enjoying alcohol on a regular basis in "normal" quantities (again,subjective);
to hardly ever drinking but leaving the door open to imbibe in certain situations.
Lately, we've split into another group we are calling "occasional drinkers".
It would seem that the term "occasional drinking" would also be defined by the individual
and would therefore be redundant.
It IS redundant;
but one can see why the person who has a drink on birthdays, Christmas, and New Years
would want to separate themselves from the person who has one glass of wine with every dinner,
even though both are "moderating" their intake, yes?
The goal of both groups (if there indeed ARE two groups) is to normalize our drinking.
Ingesting a "normal" amount of alcohol is an achievable goal.
We can emulate or copy the way a normal person drinks.
What we ALL have to keep in mind, is that we will never actually BE normal.
If you want to have alcohol in your life, you can;
and you don't need to dwell on it any more than a diabetic has to keep an eye on his blood sugar;
but we must always be vigilant.
Even problem drinkers who choose to abstain must be vigilant,
so don't worry about being overburdened with thought as a Modder.
I have seen people who had previously abstained for 20 years
come in by ambulance in a near alcoholic coma
accompanied by a crying and confused spouse.
A problem drinker will always have that potential whether moderating, abstaining or "drinking occasionally".
Sorry, that's just the way it is.
We will always have to be vigilant.
So does it matter what we call ourselves? No...
Call yourself whatever you want.
I'm already drinking less than I did when I first started "Modding".
Soon I will be drinking less than that.
Will I then be a moderate drinker or an occasional drinker?
That's splitting hairs.
Maybe I'll start a third group called "normalizers"...
Whatever you do; if you choose to keep and enjoy alcohol in your life;
have a plan and be safe...
Cheers,
~Kid~
You can comment or not, but this isn't the finished product.
Is there a difference between occasional drinking
and "moderation"
and do we care?
The term "moderation" likely comes to us from Moderation Management,
one of the earlier proponents of drinking moderately,
as opposed to total abstinence;
a belief that is gaining acceptance and popularity in addiction control circles.
Moderation is defined by the individual.
It can mean anything from damage control (harm minimizatioin)
which is basically drinking less than the amount that usually gets you in trouble or is harming your body;
to enjoying alcohol on a regular basis in "normal" quantities (again,subjective);
to hardly ever drinking but leaving the door open to imbibe in certain situations.
Lately, we've split into another group we are calling "occasional drinkers".
It would seem that the term "occasional drinking" would also be defined by the individual
and would therefore be redundant.
It IS redundant;
but one can see why the person who has a drink on birthdays, Christmas, and New Years
would want to separate themselves from the person who has one glass of wine with every dinner,
even though both are "moderating" their intake, yes?
The goal of both groups (if there indeed ARE two groups) is to normalize our drinking.
Ingesting a "normal" amount of alcohol is an achievable goal.
We can emulate or copy the way a normal person drinks.
What we ALL have to keep in mind, is that we will never actually BE normal.
If you want to have alcohol in your life, you can;
and you don't need to dwell on it any more than a diabetic has to keep an eye on his blood sugar;
but we must always be vigilant.
Even problem drinkers who choose to abstain must be vigilant,
so don't worry about being overburdened with thought as a Modder.
I have seen people who had previously abstained for 20 years
come in by ambulance in a near alcoholic coma
accompanied by a crying and confused spouse.
A problem drinker will always have that potential whether moderating, abstaining or "drinking occasionally".
Sorry, that's just the way it is.
We will always have to be vigilant.
So does it matter what we call ourselves? No...
Call yourself whatever you want.
I'm already drinking less than I did when I first started "Modding".
Soon I will be drinking less than that.
Will I then be a moderate drinker or an occasional drinker?
That's splitting hairs.
Maybe I'll start a third group called "normalizers"...
Whatever you do; if you choose to keep and enjoy alcohol in your life;
have a plan and be safe...
Cheers,
~Kid~
zwink:
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