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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. These answers will vary from individual to individual, and your choice of moderation vs. abstinence is a personal one. Whether you want to quit drinking or cut back, we’re here to help. Our program offers expert medical support, recovery coaching, and a variety of tools and resources—all delivered 100 percent virtually. Learn more about moderation with Ria Health, or find out how our program works.
Are they a well-meaning friend who doesn’t really understand alcoholism and everything you’ve been through? Maybe they want to have a fun night out with you — like you used to have with them before you got sober.
Total Alcohol Abstinence vs. Moderation: Which One Wins in the End?
If you view yourself as someone who would like to cut back on how many drinks you have a week, then moderation may be best suited for you. However, if you find yourself struggling with regulating how much alcohol you drink in a day or week, an abstinence-based approach may be necessary for changing your drinking habits. What we know is that after one has developed a severe addiction, the simplest, easiest, safest and surest way to keep from repeating past behaviors is total abstinence.
Controlled drinking as well as abstinence is an appropriate goal for the majority of problem drinkers who are not alcohol-dependent. Finally, reduced drinking is often the focus of a harm-reduction approach, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ where the likely alternative is not abstinence but continued alcoholism. Vaillant labeled abstinence as drinking less than once a month and including a binge lasting less than a week each year.
What happens to alcoholics?
I spent the first semester of my sophomore year of college snorting speed. I also used marijuana to come down, drank excessively while high, and took a lot of ecstasy. By the time winter break rolled around, I was emaciated and had shingles. I went to my parents’ house and slept for two days straight.
Individuals with severe AUD often find that in the long term, sobriety is the most achievable goal for them. Keeping alcohol in your life in a healthy way can be really challenging, especially for people who have exhibited alcohol abstinence vs moderation more severe drinking habits and patterns. 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.