What is considered moderate drinking? Is it bad for you?
Others may be looking for ways to slow things down, while some may be trying to figure out a way to keep doing substance abuse behaviors while making those practices safer and reducing their chances of causing harmful side effects through moderation management. I’m a big supporter of the idea that improvements in quality of life, in addition to or instead of measures of abstinence, need to be incorporated broadly into addiction treatment research. The way I see it, our goal in treating addiction is to help a client improve their functioning, which is often being hampered by substance abuse but that is not necessarily completely dependent on it. For some, their decision to cut back on or abstain from drinking is connected to a desire to be healthier, save money, or reestablish their views on their alcohol consumption. These are all valid reasons, and many can accomplish their goals without needing a treatment center. However, a thin line can divide when it’s appropriate to seek treatment or when moderation or abstinence is enough.
- While working with a clinician is the best way to determine what goals and treatment approach is appropriate for you and your medical history, here are some useful pointers to consider when reflecting on the question of abstinence vs. drinking in moderation.
- Most facilities, like inpatient rehabs, use a zero-tolerance approach, meaning that no use of any substance is allowed.
- It is very important to note that this study specifically excluded people who had previously been admitted to alcohol or drug treatment as well as those who had symptoms of severe alcohol withdrawal at any point in their life (like delirium tremens and such).
- There are some addictions for which moderation management won’t be a viable option, such as eating and from time to time sexual issues.
Moderating Alcohol
On the other hand, the temptation to continue your consumption will be ever-present and, potentially, getting more severe. This is important to keep in mind if for no other reason than the fact that it might be easier to not start at all than it is to will yourself back to sobriety if you get carried away. It’s already quite common to abstain in the real world; look no further than certain religions—e.g.
Is Abstinence The Best Option?
Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website. Small changes can make a big difference for someone whose alcohol use is problematic but hasn’t risen to the level of official diagnosis, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Thrivalist Founder Lucy Quick created an 8-week online sobriety course for women, to help them free themselves from the alcohol trap. Speak with a treatment provider and get your questions about rehab answered today. While it can seem daunting to practice abstinence, limit your alcohol use, or seek treatment, you can find comfort in the fact that there is no definitive “correct” way to get where you want to be. Seek skilled guidance from an addiction psychologist to get feedback when selecting goals, assessing progress, and setting appropriate boundaries.
Moderation Management Programs
Until recently, experts saw no room for social drinking or « just one. » However, programs such as Moderation Management (MM) now allow for a certain level of controlled drinking and have helped many learn to drink safely. Rates of abstinent recovery in the current study (54.0%) were greater than those among individuals in alcohol use disorder remission from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (54.0% vs. 28.9%; Fan et al., 2019). Of note, the National Recovery Study targeted those who identified as having resolved an AOD problem.
In reality, moderation can be even harder than abstinence as it can take as much, or perhaps even more, willpower to stop once you’ve already started. Plan the non-alcoholic beverages https://ecosoberhouse.com/ you’ll order or make instead of alcoholic versions. Enjoyable, non-alcoholic alternatives include virgin mojitos, kombucha, mocktails, and soda with fresh fruit or lime juice.
Abstinence Is Not the Only Option
- At Silicon Beach Behavioral Health, our mission is to ensure that every person can reach his or her full potential.
- The Sinclair Method (TSM), which involves taking the drug naltrexone to relearn moderation, has a success rate of 78%.
- Whether you carry a physical card in your wallet or use your smartphone, track your drinks to get a better handle on your consumption.
Knowing what happened can prove helpful later in the moderation management program. After two or three drinks, problem drinkers may feel great, which encourages them to drink more. However, after four or five drinks, they become sad and depressed, which compels them to drink more. Moderation management, which focuses on a particular way to deal with recuperation with no care groups or normal gatherings to join in, uses the Addictive Voice Acknowledgment Method. All in all, the thought is that you are continually engaging a monster inside yourself that needs to bait you back to substance misuse.
The medication naltrexone (commonly sold under the brand names Revia, Depade, and Vivitrol) has been found to help people learn how to drink in moderation by blocking the pleasurable effects of alcohol. This reduces cravings for alcohol when used consistently controlled drinking vs abstinence (i.e., each and every time the person drinks). Of the patients studied, 90% of total abstinence patients were still sober two and a half years after treatment. Only 50% of those who focused on controlled consumption succeeded in controlling their drinking.
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