Alcoholics - Why stop completely

[robbobob]

I'm not an alcoholic, and I don't think I know any, but why is it that when you see an alcholic being treated the treatment is always to give up completely and never touch a drop again, why is the preferred method not to get the drinking under control? By this I mean, it's ok to have a glass of Champagne or Pimms at a wedding, but proably not best to have a can of cider on the bus on the way into work.

[lil123]

The problem with alcoholism is that is it a disease and that's why alot of people have to be alcohol free as one drink is all it will take to become a drinker again
I worked with drinkers and drug addicts for a few years and sadly worked with a few alcoholics that lost their life to drink
I do know of people who turned their life around and will even go in pubs and bars and drink coke happily knowing they are free from their addiction
It is a very complex issue

[theonlyone]

My nephew is an alcoholic ..he can be dry for
weeks then some one will say one drink won't
hurt you ..and off he goes again ....he will
not make his 35 birthday ..as IiI123 said it's
a complex issue ...also awful for the families
involved ...

[onlyme26]

i totally see your point!
my partner isnt a fully blown alcholic but he drinks an awful lot, he drinks about 8-10 cans a night, which is bad, he doesnt get up first thing in the morning and reach for a beer its usually the evenings he drinks, he has done for so long he just cant stop, he went to doctor about this and apparently the worse thing you can do its just completely stop, you need to cut down over time, i have him drinking every other day now and reduced the cans to 5-6 a night, still a lot for him to be drinking but slowly does it!!!!

as for a full blown alchoholic i can imagine it must be hard to just have one! not the same but i struggle with my weight, not hugely overweight but i cant eat crisps or biscuits simply coz i cant just have one!!! hehe x

[evedawn]

For an alcoholic the "first drink is always the worst drink" in other words an alcoholic finds it nigh impossible to just have one...one leads, to another, which leads to another...

For those who struggle with drink, (be they alcoholic or alcohol dependent) it is far better to avoid the temptation and abstain completely...trust me I know :-(

[bubbles4920]

i used to go out with someone years ago who im sure was an alcoholic, alcoholic dependent, i dont know what you would call it. it was strange though because he would always go on the wagon from midnight on new years eve, wow, not a sip after 12 to continue celebrating then nothing for the whole of jan. as soon as feb came that was it, a sort of a binge. he would then have other months off too and i remember he used to count the days without a drink, that really used to annoy me. it was as though he was showing himself that he could do it, live without a drop for a whole month.
he would say that he drank when he was happy not sad. i had to make the most major decision in my life about letting him go, i just couldnt live with it for the rest of my life, hes now with someone apparently who likes a drink, ie socially. in the beginning, you see it as having a few drinks together, getting drunk, doing silly things and having a laugh but then you see how dangerous it can be socially and healthwise. i felt that i had abandoned him in a way as i wanted to help him so much but knew i would never be able to. sitting there with him and a pint of coke on his wagon months just reminded me of how it would always be. he was my only and one true love and i blame alcohol for us not being together forever. his wife left him saying that he would be a fantastic husband if he didnt drink. i know she had a lot on her plate with him. its an addiction and until it is recognised by the drinker, then nothing will get done to stop it. i used to think moderation is the key but as other ABers have said, one drink and its all over, the same as a drug user.