Originally Posted by Ragtop262

Has your condition improved at all since you've been abstaining? If it has, then it's probably a no-brainer - right?

If things haven't changed in that time, then I would think occasional drinking in moderation might be OK for you.

I still drink moderately. It doesn't seem to cause problems for me in the short term. If anything, I tend to feel better for a few days afterward. What is it doing to me in the long term? I guess I really don't know for sure - but a lot of studies seem to show that moderate drinking isn't bad, and may actually have some health benefits. But "moderation" in those studies was maybe 2 drinks.

To me, it's kind of like deciding whether or not to take a new medication. There's a risk/reward decision you need to take. For me, wine tasting and wine drinking is a hobby that my wife and I along with some of our friends enjoy greatly. I partake in moderation - knowing that there could be some risk, but enjoying every minute of it because the pain subsides due to the distractions and the alcohol - and for a while I feel just like everyone else.

Typically my wife & I will split a bottle - so that's 2 glasses each, maybe twice a week. I rarely drink more than that.

Originally Posted by mrsD

Just get some club soda with a lime, or quinine water with a lime and no one will notice. That is what I do.

I still drink a little bit... only multi-distilled vodka. Wine will attack my feet within an hour or two and make for a very bad night.
Beer upsets my GI tract. Both wine and beer also set off my gout.

Maybe one drink once a week or less. I tend to crave a drink after working physically alot or when I ache alot. Alcohol was always a good pain reliever for me, but I never drank socially at parties. And my husband is a recovered alcoholic more than 10 yrs now sober.