That story is classic. The struggle to control intake—modify it, cut it back, deploy a hundred different drinking strategies in the effort—is one of the most universal hallmarks of alcoholic behavior. We swear off hard liquor and resolve to stick to beer. We develop new rules: we’ll never drink alone; we’ll never drink in the morning; we’ll never drink on the job; we’ll only drink on weekends, or after five o’clock; we’ll coat our stomachs with milk or olive oil before we go out drinking to keep ourselves from getting too drunk; we’ll have a glass of water for every glass of wine; we’ll do
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