In moderation has eased itself into the lexicon of all polite conversation when your trying to get someone to stop doing a bad thing, but you don’t want to scare them with the prospect of totally stopping yet.
- Drinking… in moderation
- Smoking… in moderation
- Recreational Drugs… in moderation
Or when it comes from people in authority it just means “I’m not ready to have this fight, so I’ll just say in moderation as a catch all so you wont get mad at me”
I hear it differently. I’ve heard it as, “keep doing this thing that’s bad for you, just make sure it doesn’t inconvenience me or I’ll start judging you.”
Also, “it’s not a problem so long as it’s making me money, so don’t quit completely, but rather stay alive long enough to keep dumping cash into it.”
Anyone who’s ever tried to get serious help has been met with the “well just consume in moderation” argument and the “it’s a disease” excuses. We have agency, we can rewire neural pathways, and we don’t have to consume things that are killing us in “socially acceptable” measurements. It’s not an easy road but telling people “eww you can’t just limit yourself? you’re clearly broken beyond repair” doesn’t help people heal. Edit: fixed typo
Oh, like the company selling the thing that says enjoyed in moderation? That is a really good point