Psychology Today: Moderated Drinking: A Creative Strategy To Treat Alcoholism
From Psychology Today:
Complete sobriety might not always be a realistic solution for heavy drinkers.
KEY POINTS
- Fear of needing to cope without alcohol can deter efforts to stop drinking.
- Moderating alcohol use can allow someone to deal with both the drinking behavior and underlying issues that power their drinking.
- Moderated drinking may empower some people to ultimately give up drinking entirely.
Over the past few decades, research has demonstrated that complete abstinence isn’t always the most effective approach for treating alcohol abuse. 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. For people who have not been able to maintain sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or other 12-step programs, they may wish to consider if moderation may be a more effective path for them to take.
To stop drinking you should initially acknowledge that you tend to drink too much. In the event that you don’t recognize your concern then you are never going to fix it.
Agreed, that we first have to recognize that we have a problem with overdrinking before you can start taking steps to fix it. Sharing what steps to take and which tools are helpful is where MM comes in.
Stopping drinking and getting level-headed is an extended cycle. There will be times when it is extreme and times when it appears to be tremendously unthinkable, however you should keep at it.
I have removed more from liquor than liquor has removed from me.
I found this article really insightful – it’s great to learn about the benefits of moderate drinking for maintaining a healthy relationship with alcohol!
I’ve got two years sober in AA after nearly drinking myself to death. This seems so dangerous it could kill.