AA vs. LifeRing

Doing well , thanks !

Congrats on the new job ! I think tapering off first is a good idea , it's a slower process but it will help you avoid the " crash " of going cold turkey .

littlewing wrote: I'm trying to just have one drink a day and taper down but sometimes one turns into two...

Well , at least your post doesn't read " " ...but one always turns into two . " That's progress in my book .

I rarely drink these days and I've found that the longer I go without it , the less I enjoy it when I do have a drink .

Best of luck !

I found out that I was one of those people that could not predict what would happen after the first drink. With all the best intentions, I would plan to have one or two and leave. Easier said than done, right?
I would have given anything to be able drink normally. My dad could order a Martini at a table and not even finish it.
I was hoping to moderate and cut down my drinking. That just didn't work for me. I thought that it could be done by will-power, but I was wrong. The alcohol was stronger than me.
There are worse things to be than a powerless alcoholic and I had to admit that I was licked. The only path to recovery for me was the cold-turkey route.
I spent 60-days at inpatient because 30 days was just not enough. I was with mostly late-stage, street-people. The rehab was not a country club. It was my 3rd time at rehab and something clicked that time. Hopelessness turned 180° into hopefulness. For the first time in many years, I actually felt a relief that things were finally going to be OK.
When alcohol leaves, you must have something ready to take its place. I did have an admitted sweet-tooth for a few years. A sugar molecule is very close to an alcohol molecule.
Since I smoked when I drank, I gave up both at the same time.
I now drink chilled seltzer (carbonated water) and make my own with tap water and a CO2 tank. It keeps me hydrated, has no calories and is cheap. It also gives me that refreshing burp that I need.
If you do get to a meeting, ask to read something in the beginning. I always like 'How it Works'. It reminds me of why we are here:
http://www.aa.org/assets/en_US/p-10_howitworks.pdf
Choose a slogan and live it. I chose 'First things first'. It might sound corny, but it saved my ass a few times when I was undecided.
I hope that you can find your way through this muddle. I can't tell you what to do, but please give it a try.
An inpatient once said to me that I don't have to drink. It struck me how simple and honest that short statement was. Yeah, he's right. "I don't have to drink".
Keep it one day at a time to keep things manageable. Sometimes small bites are better than big bites.
"Quiet the heart, still the mind and focus on what's in front of you". ♥︎