Doctormcbrewdle - What I am about to say will offend, however asking for advice about moderation on a forum populated by people who produce their own alcohol is going to result in an extreme bias in the data. Its like asking junkies if their meth usage is normal, "yes it is" will be the response. In Australia alcoholism is celebrated as part of masculinity and male identity if you do not drink hard and heavy your some-kind of ***.
I have a brother who is an alcoholic he drinks at least one bottle of hard spirits a night sometimes more, then he feels like a man and wants to fight. I have a sister who is a heroin junky she lives on the streets doing what ever she needs to get her fix (I come from a violent, broken and abused family). My grandfather on my mother side died in his early 40's from alcohol abuse brought on from PTSD suffered in WW2. I know first hand what addiction is and how it kills, I once watched a young man overdose and die many years ago in Kings Cross right in front of me. Alcoholism is just a slower more sociable normative method of doing what that young man did.
If something does not make you feel good then stop doing it, it you feel you have a problem controlling your consumption then seek help. Just because its a hobby is not a good enough reason to keep doing something. Join a sports club, do woodworking, play video games, go camping, bush walking, find something that you love and makes you happy.
Just for the record I drink beer, but its limited to 2 standard drinks every 3 or more days. I go to the gym, I do martial arts and I love doing woodworking. If alcohol was banned today I would just say who cares and move on.
Bribie G you are cherry picking data, alcoholic liver disease is 100% avoidable their should be ZERO death from alcohol anything. Dementia is a natural degenerative process and cannot be mitigated by any known actions.
