’T is not the drinking that is to be blamed, but the excess.

Blaming a thing for what excess does to it usually misses the point. Most pleasures are harmless at one size and ruinous at another, and the difference is quantity rather than kind. Locating the fault in the substance lets people avoid the harder question of their own measure. Knowing where your line falls is the actual skill.

Take the pleasure you feel slightly uneasy about and set an amount rather than debating whether it is allowed. Notice how you feel when you are near that line, since the recognition is what keeps the amount honest.