The Wallace et al. patients had a high level of abstinence; patients in Nordström and Berglund had a high level of controlled drinking. Social stability at intake was negatively related in Rychtarik et al. to consumption as a result either of abstinence or of limited intake. Apparently, social stability predicts that alcoholics will succeed better whether they choose abstinence or reduced drinking.
Initially, AA was not intended to offer a professional programme model for treatment (Alcoholics Anonymous, 2011). When the premise of AA was transformed into the 12-step treatment programme, it was performed in a professional setting. Many clients https://ecosoberhouse.com/ in the study described that the 12-step programme was the only treatment that they were offered. The context of treatment in a professional setting, and in many cases, the only treatment offered, gives the 12-step philosophy a sense of legitimacy.
Moderated Drinking: A Creative Strategy to Treat Alcoholism?
If you have health problems related to alcohol, it may be unsafe to drink at all, period. By quitting drinking completely, your body can begin to repair the damage caused by alcohol. If you don’t consider yourself an alcoholic or don’t feel comfortable labeling yourself one, practicing moderation helps you avoid having that discussion when you’re not in the mood.
Learning to drink in moderation can be the goal, or it can be a way station on the way to abstinence. Once you are able to allow yourself some alcohol in controlled circumstances, you may ultimately choose to give up drinking entirely. “Moderation” is a term that is often used to suggest that a person with an alcohol or drug problem does not really have to give it up but can “control” it. A program called controlled drinking vs abstinence Moderation Management advocates this alternative to abstinence as a solution for a substance abuse disorder2. This team of researchers undertook to compare self-identified members of Moderation Management with self-identified members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). They looked at demographics—who attends AA versus who attends MM—as well as the relative severity of the drinking problems in the two groups.
What Counts as Alcohol Abuse?
But, for the population of drinkers that have already crossed that line, Moderation Management is an exercise in futility. In fact, the founder of Moderation Management, Audrey Kishline, admitted that for her the program had not worked. When your goal is only one drink instead of no drinks at all, the temptation to stray can become less powerful and you can more often enjoy positive reinforcement from your successes.
- The acceptability of controlled drinking as a goal for problem drinkers clearly differs between UK and US healthcare workers.
- To avoid these problems, we offer a medical alcohol detox and rehab in Ohio that safely weans someone’s body off of alcohol.
- The population of people who use MM is pretty well educated and is made up for the most part of problem drinkers rather than those meeting full-blown alcohol dependence criteria.
- After a period of moderate drinking, some people end up achieving abstinence anyway.