People who attempt moderation for the first time are admitting to themselves that a problem exists and they are displaying a willingness to make changes. First of all, as mentioned controlled drinking vs abstinence earlier, don’t make a commitment until you are firm in your path to sobriety. Second, realize a commitment to sobriety is not a commitment to be forever perfect.
Auricular Acupuncture and Addiction
These individuals know alcohol affects their personal and professional lives directly, but they can’t stop drinking. Whether or not moderation would work for you often depends on how serious the consequences are that you are experiencing because of your use. If you are having life threatening, relationship ending or otherwise serious consequences that you need to get a handle on immediately, then perhaps abstinence is the only route for you. On the other hand, if you are struggling with your drug and alcohol use but the consequences are not rising to very serious proportions, perhaps you have more leeway to experiment with moderation.
- At Monument, you can meet with a physician, such as myself, to discuss if medication to stop drinking is appropriate for you.
- 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.
- Successful moderation involves understanding yourself (what factors trigger excessive drinking), planning (how much you are going to drink and how you are going to stop), and taking concrete steps to exit or avoid situations where you won’t be able to moderate.
- Some clinicians and researchers posit that the field’s current emphasis on abstinence-based recovery may fail to engage many individuals with SUD because of perceptions that a goal of abstinence is required to engage with care.
Treatment Programs
The negative effects of your drinking may have turned you off of alcohol entirely, and that’s completely okay. If your reason for choosing abstinence is simply that you want to, that’s a perfectly valid reason to quit alcohol altogether. Moderation often requires that you take anti-craving medication for an indefinite period of time. Medication makes it easier to put the brakes on after a drink or two, and sticking to moderation is challenging without it.
Moderation vs. abstinence, which approach is right for you?
Miller et al. (in press) found that more dependent drinkers were less likely to achieve CD outcomes but that desired treatment goal and whether one labeled oneself an alcoholic or not independently predicted outcome type. If you’re not sure where to start with your drug and alcohol recovery journey, a good place to begin is with a 30 day period of sobriety to “reset” your relationship with drugs and alcohol https://ecosoberhouse.com/ and start on your journey with a clean slate. Whether you want to quit completely or moderate your use, starting with a 30 day period of abstinence can help you clarify your goals, your self control, and will give you a baseline from which you can explore other approaches to recovery if you like. Abstinence is essential for recovering alcoholics to reach their goals and maintain their sobriety.
- ‘Ageing out’ itself may consist of substance use becoming less compatible with individuals’ lifestyles and developmental contexts as they grow older.
- While total abstinence is necessary in some cases, in other cases people are able to reduce their drinking to moderate levels without needing to abstain totally.
- One research study followed drinkers for three to eight years after they completed a program of behavioral self-control.
- These health risks can be severe, and some even contribute to alcohol-related mortality rates.
- While this is always encouraging to me, it also made me wonder about the differences between these groups that might be easy to see when someone shows up to treatment.
Total Alcohol Abstinence vs. Moderation: Which One Wins in the End?
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. Once you are able to control how much you drink, you may find that you’re better able to enjoy family gatherings, social events, and work events. 12-step programs alone do not usually address the underlying need that’s been suppressed through alcohol.
How do you decide between sobriety or moderation?
- 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.
- Abstinence can have many benefits, including improved mental and physical health.
