Who Is Most Likely to Benefit from Moderation-focused Alcohol Treatment? Recovery Research Institute

As a result, many have been able to find and maintain sobriety. We encourage you to take the Alcohol Self-Assessment Tests on this website to start developing a better perspective on your drinking behavior and whether abstinence or moderation might be best for you. Keep in mind, however, that no self-assessment test or quiz can substitute for a face-to-face clinical evaluation by a treatment professional. Abstinence is not the only solution for a drinking problem. For some people, learning how to drinking more moderately and safely is a realistic and attainable goal.

The group Moderation Management usually asks a person to evaluate their drinking, often through use of a journal or “drinking diary,” for a period of time initially. A person is to write down when and how much they drink, as well as any issues that alcohol has caused in their lives. Individuals are to explore moderate drinking limits, which CBS News reports is no more than 1-9 standard drinks a week, to decide if maintaining these will be possible for them. Then, MM will ask that the individual stop drinking altogether for at least 30 days.

What happens to alcoholics?

Living the teetotal life by abstaining from alcohol may not work for everyone. Moderation management programs allow responsible drinking while focusing on managing problematic episodes. In some situations, moderation management can work, but it’s not for everyone. The US Department of Health & Human Services recommends no mo than 2 drinks per day for men and only 1 drink per day for women.

• Alcohol use disorder is a chronic disease, and individuals suffering from alcoholism can relapse.
• With a heterogeneous approach to community alcohol treatment, those with a lower level of need—such as at-risk youth just beginning to experiment with alcohol—are not disregarded and instead have appropriate programs available.
• There is in fact but one infinite, divine Mind, which must of necessity be man’s only real Mind, or intelligence.

If physical dependence is not present, then a person may safely stop drinking for a month to assess their situation. A person may decide that an abstinence-based program is better for them at this point. Study authors used data from their prior randomized trial that tested two motivational interventions and one comparison condition where individuals were simply encouraged to reduce their drinking taking place over 7 weeks. If you continue to use, your past may dictate your outcome. A permanent commitment to abstinence means we no longer have to fight a battle with moderation; but rather devote ourselves to sobriety permanently. Ours is a “no excuses” program, we are responsible for our decisions and behaviors; we have a choice.

Sobriety Vs. Moderation: Two Perspectives on Overcoming Alcoholism

→ Are not currently grappling with severe life problems such as divorce, job loss, bankruptcy, debilitating or life-threatening medical illness, death of a loved one, depression or other psychiatric illness, etc. First, let’s dive into the difference between abstinence (AKA sobriety) and moderation. A study conducted at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden found that the Reagans of the world are more successful in treatment than the Saras. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. But moderation disconnects you from all of that because it focuses on a number instead of tuning into your body and how it feels. Because what you try to do with moderation is you try to follow a rule rather than listening to your body’s response in the present moment.

• In addition to—or, perhaps, instead of—therapy, there’s medication you can take that helps with alcoholism.
• There are signs to look for if you want to know if moderation management is right for you.
• After a period of moderate drinking, some people end up achieving abstinence anyway.
• And if you are doing that, you will always disconnect from what actually works for you.
• According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and other public health agencies, there are at least four times as many problem drinkers as alcoholics in this country.
• This radically different approach helps you succeed by dropping the perfectionism and judgment that blocks change.

There was no therapist in the room, and the moderator, a two-year MM “veteran”, gently steered people away from delving too deeply into issues that might be better addressed in therapy. Dr. Arnold Washton is licensed to practice in New York, New Jersey, and Florida. Dr. Loraine Washton is licensed to practice in New York and New Jersey. Possibly, but one will benefit from being on guard for them, as they can reappear years later. Be ever vigilant, but ever hopeful and know that you can control your outcome; the choice is yours.

Written by Thrivalist Sobriety

It also solved his ongoing dilemma of never knowing how much was too much. We decided to do a 30 together, and after two false starts – alcohol abstinence vs moderation there was a party to go to! And a nice Italian dinner, which of course cannot go without wine – we are now 20 days in and feeling fine.

Among the most widely studied are how motivated and confident someone is in being able to reduce or quit drinking. Given the field’s historical emphasis on abstinence-based approaches, key individual factors to treatment outcome remain more of a mystery when it comes to moderation-focused treatment, sometimes called “harm reduction”. If you feel freaked out by this idea that oh, so it’s totally up to me, so I just have to decide what’s right for me, if this freaks https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/choosing-sobriety-gifts-10-great-ideas-to-consider/ you out, you have to ask yourself why. Changing your relationship with alcohol isn’t a choice between abstaining or moderation. It’s a commitment to focusing on the why behind your decision and staying connected to your body and connected to your emotions and connected to your thoughts. Instead, MM may be appropriate for individuals who are experiencing issues with alcohol use that they wish to rectify and who can adhere to the practices of the program.