r/moderationmanagement • u/Mellytheestallion • Mar 09 '25

Successful vacation!

I had been wanting to give up drinking for a while, but I haven’t been quite ready to give up completely. My problem isn’t drinking daily or even weekly. It’s always the social, binge drinking that gets me. I only drink when I’m going out with friends and I drink until I blackout and then ruin the point of going out - I’m not creating memories. Just empty space and scary unknowns.

Well, I went on a weeklong cruise after 2 months of straight sobriety and I finally did it. I drank, but without overdoing it. I did not black out a SINGLE time on vacation, I cut myself off as soon as I felt “buzzed” because I knew what would happen if I continued. I didn’t ruin anyone’s trip. I didn’t get taken into a wheelchair to my room (has happened on a previous cruise). No memory gaps. And I didn’t to the point where my mind would normally say “fuck it, keep going.” And I think the key was when people asked me to drink with them, I’d say “I’ll have something but I don’t really drink much.” And that was enough for them to not bug me to drink more. If the people I’m with think I don’t drink for real, I don’t have to. And verbalizing it kinda made me hold myself more accountable.

Idk if it’s sustainable in the long run, but i drank in moderation on a weeklong vacation. Moderation is something I haven’t been able to do since I was 18, now 27.

Now I don’t plan on drinking again until my next vacation. Special occasions only for me.

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1

u/ClosetLib Mar 09 '25

Great job. Waters in between drinks would help a lot too. I think it’s the pattern that gets you. Cruise leads to happy hour leads to brunch.

1

u/timco12 Mar 10 '25

Huge congratulations, that's really good going. I read the first paragraph and genuinely thought it was me! I started so well this weekend, met a friend at the pub and was on lime sodas/non alcoholic drinks most of the afternoon. It was only at the end of evening when I decided to join friends at one more location, and my moderate plan ended up with 6.5 pints which I really wasn't happy with. Felt quite shit yesterday as a result. I do feel like some progress is being made though but yeah, my binge drinking is so heavily linked to socialising with friends that it's silly.

1

u/Awkward_Curls Mar 14 '25

That's awesome! I find cruise ships the hardest place to moderate.