The Moderation Myth: Why Controlled Drinking Is Hell
For some drinkers, “enjoy responsibly” is a contradiction in terms
If you’ve struggled with your drinking, you’ve probably wrestled with the question, “Can I learn to drink in moderation?” Society would have us believe that it’s not only possible but it’s what most respectable people already do. We’re told to “enjoy responsibly,” but it’s an open question as to what that means in practice.
Moderation seems like a reasonable goal. If you want to have your cake and eat it too, just decide to drink one or two and stop before bad things happen. No problemo. But if moderation is a simple choice, why do so many — even those who preach moderation — fail at it so often?
First of all, despite the bombardment of messaging about drinking in moderation, many people do not drink moderately. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “recommends that adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink, or to drink in moderation by limiting intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men or 1 drink or less in a day for women, on days when alcohol is consumed.”
How many people do you know who call themselves moderate drinkers that blow past that intake on any given drinking occasion? For a lot of drinkers, moderation is subjective. You can move the…
