http://www.sonofthesouth.net/uncle-sam/images/no-drinking-sign.jpg
http://www.scifidesktop.org.uk/gallery/albums/sci-fi/worldwide/Batman/Poison-Ivy_002.jpg
http://www.scifidesktop.org.uk/gallery/albums/sci-fi/worldwide/Batman/Poison-Ivy_003.jpg
http://www.scifidesktop.org.uk/gallery/albums/sci-fi/worldwide/Batman/Poison-Ivy_005.jpg
http://www.slademomma.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/poison-frog-2.jpg
http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/image-files/poison-dart-frog.jpg
http://www.billiardwarehouse.com/cues/poison/images/poison-logo-1.jpg
http://forgotston.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/poison_sign.png
http://www.camberleyonthe.net/images/binge_drinking.jpg
http://animefeet.blogspot.com/2008/04/poison-ivy-bonus-2.html

The idea is that too much booze is poisonous. Here are several images of things that can remind you of the poisons and toxins you are putting into your body each time you drink too much. And the meaning can be hidden to all of your comrades. Hope that helps.

That’s definitely something to consider… There are consequences to everything you do or decide… just be aware of them.

I won’t comment on whether I think the idea is a good one or not, that’s your choice to make and yours alone, but good luck with your decision.

As for discreet placement… you’re a guy right?
I think tattoos on the sole of your foot tend to fade very quickly and can disappear all together, so I hear…
Also if this is something you want to look at yourself as a reminder, perhaps it’s a little too discreet, are you really going to take your shoe and sock off every time you feel temptation? Won’t it be easier to reach for a drink?
How about just under one of your armpits, so you only see it when you lift your arm up?
Or just under the waistline of your jeans? I know that tends to be a femenine place for tattoos but depending on the design it could work.
If I was going to get a tattoo with that sort of meaning, I would actually go for the wrist, and perhaps cover it with a watch (once healed) – easily accessible by you but easy to hide, I would think that if you try and bury it too deep beyond visibility it will lose it’s purpose that you’ve described.
Those are my thoughts anyway. Your choice of course. But just be aware that if you have the sole of your foot done, you’re probably going to need to get it redone pretty often.

As for what to actually get, I can only tell you what I would do, it might not be your cup of tea at all… but I would get “Think of your family”, either in English or in a foreign language (perhaps latin) if you don’t want people seeing it and getting suspicious. That would be the most emotive thing for me to be able to look at and think ‘shit, stop being such a selfish prick and do what’s best for my loved ones’. Anything else would probably become meaningless to me over time. A message like that would also work in other times in your life. It’s often tempting to take the selfish option and do what’s best for yourself when it’s going to hurt or affect your family. Eg suicide. Whatever. Whenever you looked at it, you’d be reminded of your priorities, even if it was in a foreign language – you’d know what it’d say. It’d be like a permanent guilt trip, but not a terrible one.

Ok anyway, before I ‘submit’ I just want to make an off topic point and probably overstep the line… but I did notice you said you have had a drinking problem for a long while but don’t want to quit completely, just postpone it. If you really have a problem, then the latter is just not possible. Ask anybody who has had any experience of alcoholism, either in a loved one or in themselves in the past. You can’t go from an addiction to social drinking. I spent 21 years of my life growing up with someone I love more than anything in the world, who had the same problem as you. And she never tried to quit, she lived with the belief she’d be able to calm it down and drink casually. Well she died last month. That’s reality. You may think you’re a long way off from that. But it creeps up. If you have family and you care for and love them, get yourself into a treatment program and kick this in before it’s too late. I know an alcohol free lifetime seems like a misery, which is why you want to be able to be like your friends who can drink and have fun without the dependency, but that isn’t an option to you. It’s shit, because social drinking is fun, but it is just a sad fact of your life. Just like a diabetic can’t eat sugary stuff, or a coeliac can’t eat wheat. Shit’s up your enjoyment of life, but you can take enjoyment from other areas. I used to think that a lifetime without coke and pills was a misery, I’d do it every day and thought life wasn’t worth living without it… but fortunately I fell pregnant, and my son was the making of me, I realised I HAD to stop because I wasn’t going to raise a child whose only parent was a junkie, and now I am clean and life is great. Just set yourself real targets.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble. I’m just thinking of you.

It’s ok, sorry if my latter part was overly harsh, but I can honestly say I’ve seen it all happen and it worries me seeing others head in the same direction. Hope you get sorted.

Anyway, as for the ideas, well I can’t help out with the foreign translation idea (I could with French, if you wanted, as I have a french friend…) but nothing else, it’s always best to get someone who can speak the language to do a translation for a tattoo, never trust these translation sites or anything, all you need to do is to translate a simple bit of french to english to see how wrong they can be! But if you wanted those words in english, here are some things you could try – it might be cool to have it wrapped all the way around your wrist instead of just on the top or bottom – that way you can get more detail on the lettering.

Mind you these aren’t different languages, just fonts.