I am reposting an excerpt from a post I did in General Discussion: I appreciate [abstainers] sharing your journey with me and I too am on a journey that I must take. I have found that there is no support on this board for people who moderate, despite Roberta Jewells' book with extensive research to the contrary, and I ask did she lie to sell books? I don't believe she did. I re-posted her post that she now chooses to abstain - she did not say that she was unsuccessful moderating. There are plenty of threads supporting people struggling to abstain, but none where someone can honestly post about struggling to moderate without being told by someone who has chosen to abstain that they will fail. The Long Term Moderators thread is a contentious argument between people who chose to abstain and people struggling to Moderate. Who supports someone by telling them they will fail? I've gotten several PMs and posts with the question "did you drink" - and it really feels like I'm being asked "whose side are you on"? While I've been commended for my 'honest' posts elsewhere, any posts dealing with my thoughts about drinking or moderation have been discouraged. I've been asked not to post in the Newbie's Nest in order to support those struggling to abstain. I'd like to support those struggling to moderate but have not found where can they post. You are free to go anywhere on these Boards and share your experience - if I choose to moderate I cannot post anywhere without being told I will fail. Please tell me if I'm wrong. The question is not "can you moderate" it is "can you be supported in moderating on this board".
I am hopeful that this can be a thread that supports those struggling to moderate - it will require honest self examination. As I've read elsewhere, a pattern of having 10 beers once a week isn't moderating. IMHO, abstaining and having a pattern of 10 beers once a week isn't abstaining either but each individual should be able to choose what they call their journey.
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