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”
It’s used for bad things, but there’s nothing wrong with the term and is generally good practice.
Get some sun, but in moderation.
Help people, but in moderation (don’t set yourself on fire to warm others. In other words, practice self-care)
Eat in moderation.
Exercise in moderation.
Play video games in moderation.
Hell, brush your teeth in moderation. Don’t strip the enamel brushing 8 times a day.
Work in moderation.
Doom scroll in moderation. (stay aware, don’t get to the point of crushing sense of despair)
Basically, most things are best practiced in moderation. And if one feels compelled to do harmful things, doing them in moderation can help mitigate the damage.