I’m pretty open about my alcoholism and am not shy about answering questions about how it works in my mind. That said, early dates are usually a time I use cute one-liners that get the point across without getting too deep. “I’m just really bad at drinking. Or really good at it depending on who you ask.” Or John Mulaney’s “I used to drink, then I drank too much and had to stop.” If they ask more questions, I’m an open book.

Also, in my experience there are two types of people who would see this as a dealbreaker: 1. People who are opposed to dating recovering addicts 2. People who are struggling with their own addiction

It’s good to know early if they are one of these two types. Even if it stings a little, I’ve found it best to not try to date either one.