Just one drink?

Hi john

Firstly, why did you stop drinking 11 years ago and was alcohol a problem for you?

If your relationship with alcohol didn’t cause any problems and you just decided one day to stop, then my answer would be yes fine, have the occasional drink socially, enjoy a drink with your wife, end of, no problem.

However, as you posted your question on a forum for people with alcohol problems, then reading between the lines, I’d say you had a problem. I apologise if I’ve misread your question.

I had great problems with alcohol, to the point where if I carried on drinking, chances were I’d have lost my husband and kids. So I stopped, no medication, nothing just will power. I went four years without drinking, but I craved alcohol a lot. Not every day, but the thought was always there. Surely one won’t hurt, I can drink socially, I can take it or leave it. Who was I kidding?

So I had a glass of wine and then another couple on a night out. The next day I bought a bottle of wine so I could have the occasional glass during the week. The wine lasted a day and before  I knew it, i was back where I started, if not worse.

I don’t remember much of the next two years as I was nearly always drunk, or craving a drink. I knew I needed help. My gp prescribed acamprosate (campral) which is an anti craving drug. It worked, no thoughts about drinking at all for the next 12 months. No problems like when I’d previously stopped drinking.

Campral alters the pathways in your brain and over time resets it. Very basically it changes the way you see or deal with alcohol. From it causing problems to being able to deal with alcohol normally. No cravings.

I do drink socially now, or share a bottle of wine with my husband at the weekend and I enjoy it. I never touch spirits and have never felt the need to drink secretly or alone like before.

So, to answer your question, my honest advice would be don’t bother. I appreciate that sounds really hypocritical. I couldn’t have gone back to an occasional drink without medication.

Good luck and keep posting. If you decide to go ahead, please let us know how you get on

Hi John. I agree with Vicky Lou and know that I cannot trust myself but it is entirely up to you. 11 years is amazing. For certain. Regards Robin

Thank you both for your replies. I've posted here before, mainly to offer support and encouragement. Yes, I did have a problem. I was drinking far too much and was mildly aggressive sometimes. I stopped completely ?as I worried about my health as well. It was unplanned and apart from some craving times, I've managed successfully. But, as I posted, isn't 11 years enough? The 'anniversary' will be 11th February, and that is the day when I think I will say 'just one small drink?' My excessive drinking was usually Whisky and sometimes half a litre during an afternoon. I know if it's just one small drink then that would be OK, but will it stop there.....? I would quite like to find out if I could now be a 'normal' drinker. I never went to pubs to drink, not my scene. Thanks for your advice. 

Hi John..I stopped for almost 15 years and began to hold this belief that I deserved a drink and could probably drink safely .The run up to the stopping was horrendous and a super destructive time but inspite of that I still I thought I was cured after 15 yrs.Who was I kidding ! Anyway I proceeded with the plan to drink again, just socially I told myself and this worked for a while until the old ways crept back along with the lost days at work, hangovers , debts and all the rest of it including being instrumental in the ending of a fantastic relationship with a non drinker.The pattern continued for 11 years until I began to get desperate and I found this site just over a year ago. Here I discovered the Sinclair method and lots of great support and decided to give it a try .For me, as for many others too it has worked .I began my journey Dec 2016 and have never looked back .It had its challenges in the beginning but by working with the method and staying compliant I can now safely have drink if I choose without the risk of it turning into a huge binge although I must say I have reached a point where drink really doesn't feel that important to me anymore. Please think carefully about taking that drink on 11th John.In my experience you will be risking eventually finding yourself back to where you left off 11 years ago .It's your choice at the end of the day but my advice is the same as Vickylou' s and Robins,

Quitting drinking for long periods of time as you have is admirable and never forget all the milestones you went thru to fight for your sobriety.  The holly grail is why can't I have just one drink occasionally. In my 20 years of experience with my beloved son once that first drink has been taken there is a huge risk & it can be hard to make it back to sobriety once you start drinking again. Even if you have been sober for many years, having that first social drink again can open the door to old habits. So if you are wondering, can you drink, in my opinion the answer is no. The best way to avoid relapse is to avoid the first drink. There are ways to avoid falling into the trap of thinking social drinking is OK. Your heart does not only belong to you but it belongs to all those who love you, depend on you and have faith in you!

Well, 5 pm on 11th February has just passed here. As I did in 2007, I threw my drink out the window and decided not to touch ?any more alcohol. (Today's was blackcurrant cordial.)  I have this ceremony every year at this time. But as I wrote here, the last few days have been difficult. Even after 11 years!  I've managed to resist that One Small Drink so far, partly due to the help from the replies to my original post. I'm really surprised that ?the temptation is still there. It seems worse as the anniversay approaches. The same thing ?happened last year too! Oh well... Thanks all.