Speaking from personal experience, the answer to this question is an unequivocable NO, an alcoholic can never drink socially again! Sure, one may be able to have drink or two for short while, but it will all catch up to an alcoholic and it will do so very quickly. Alcoholism is a disease and must be treated as such. If alcoholics had an an option to stop drinkng, the word alcoholic would not be in existence and as much as we may want to taste a cold beer or a strong drink and get that relaxed feeling most get when drinking, it's just not possible.
Having been sober for seventeen years, I can say I have made most of the mistakes alcoholics make. I've been in rehab more than once, I've had a few drinks after being released, stayed sober for a week or two, telling myself I wasn't really a drunk, I could handle it if I'd gone this long. Soon thereafter, I was, pouring vodka into a glass of OJ to start the day!
I've been handed all of the reasons to pick up a drink again on a silver platter over the years. I lost support from my family, many friends just stopped being my friend, I've lost people I loved, I've lost jobs, I've cracked up cars, I've been in jail, and twenty years later, a restraining order which was taken out by a family member so I wouldn't try to come into the house while drunk, still comes up when applying for work. I've lost memories, I've lost respect, I've lost a lot, both emotionally and materially. I know a good aloholic will think a drink may take one away from all this grief and aggravation and self-pity for a bit, and maybe it will. It may also exaccerbate many issues one is already dealing with, and cause a lot more grief, not only for the alcoholic, but for the family, friends and employers of an alcoholic.
The fact of the matter is that alcohol can hurt and kill in so many ways and it is up to us to NEVER forget this! If we read the newspaper or watch the news, there inevitably will be a story regarding a deadly car crash, domestic violence, alcohol poisoning and no one is immune. There are stories of senior citizens who never had a drink until they were in their sixties or seventies and ended up in rehab or with insurance restrictions today, a less effective program. There are also stories of very young children getting into their parent's alcohol and the results have been tragic. The person who helped me admit to my problem and get me into rehab is a middle-aged police officer and recently, after surgery, ended up in rehab for aloholism and is currently going through a painful divorce!
Alcohol is glamourized in so many ways. Peers, advertisements, alcohol-sponsored events, merchandise when the reality is, while many can and do drink responsibly, many just aren't chemically able to do so, and the consequences of alcholism are never shown or discussed by those who glamourize it. If these same people showed before and after pictures or resumes, or cars, it may still not get through to most, but if one person rethinks a decision to attempt "social drinking", it would be worth it.
The main question to ask oneself when thinking about picking up a drink after getting help is, "is this drink worth the danger it will cause me and others? Is this drink worth losing the trust and support of those I love and who love me? Do I want to wake up somewhere unfamiliar? Do I want to continually be plotting and planning my drinking so I'm sure I'll have "enough" until a bar or liquor store open?
Life is a gift and while we can't control the cards we've been dealt in many aspects of our lives, many we can control or ask for help in controlling. While not picking up that drink won't make our lives ideallic, it will make the manner in which we deal with the many curve balls life throws our way, easier, effective and less painful.
Each and every person is worth helping and worth the effort.