moderating alcohol can be easier because you are not depriving yourself of what you want - just taking control of how it effects your life
Let’s get one thing straight: some people absolutely cannot drink in moderation. It’s just not possible for everyone. Alcohol sets off a chemical reaction in their bodies that makes them crave more and more. Their favorite drink? The next one. This is not a character flaw; it’s a biological reality. That’s the physical compulsion element of addiction.
Can such people white knuckle it and go for days, weeks, or months without drinking? Sometimes! But the entire time, they’re thinking about when they’ll drink next. That’s the mental obsession element of addiction.
There’s a saying: “What do you get when a horse thief stops drinking? A dry horse thief.” It’s really fucking hard to stay sober when you have to face all the wreckage you’ve caused and you don’t have alcohol or drugs to ease the pain. You literally don’t know how to live like a stand-up guy. You lack the humility to ask for help from those who’ve been through it and changed. That’s the spiritual malady element of addiction.
I don’t believe that Ralph is drinking all day for fun. I believe he’s doing it just to be able to tolerate being Ethan Ralph. Face it: People drink and drug because it does actually help — until it doesn’t. At a certain point, this medicinal effect became more damaging than helpful. But how do you live without the only thing that’s ever gotten you through? Ethan is facing having to give up his legit best friend, at the time he feels most isolated and unloved.
This is the crisis point he finds himself at now. He can either be a pussy, stick with what he knows and continue to destroy his life and hurt everyone in it, or he can decide to surrender and join the winning team.
I don’t wish a miserable alcoholic life on anyone, not even Ethan Ralph. I’ve known far bigger fuckups than him who got and stayed sober. But it took a moment of grace to have the humility to ask for help, even if that was just showing up at a meeting. I don’t believe the whole religious shtick he’s half-assing now, but if he’s ever going to ask a higher power to open up the gates of hell and let him out, now is the time.