If you’re a heavy drinker, you’re at an increased risk of developing certain diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke. However, when you stop drinking, your risk of developing these diseases decreases. One of the best things about giving up alcohol is that you may find yourself feeling happier overall.
The Risks of Abstinence
Moderation management offers face-to-face and online meetings, a listserv, a forum, online alcohol drinking limit guidelines, a self-help book that can be ordered through the site, and an online calendar where users can report their drinking. There are also support groups dedicated to abstinence, including the most famous support group https://ecosoberhouse.com/recovery-residence/ of all, Alcoholics Anonymous. These kinds of groups become a source of support from people who understand, who are looking for solidarity and hope. It’s already quite common to abstain in the real world; look no further than certain religions—e.g. Mormons, Muslims, and Bahais—that forbid practitioners from consuming alcohol.
Levels of Care in Drug and Alcohol Rehab Programs
Contacting a treatment providercan help you determine the next steps in your journey. Though sobriety has a clear definition, you may still be asking yourself, what is sobriety, and what will it mean to me? Oftentimes it can mean learning how to manage cravings, engaging in alcohol treatment, finding community, and introducing alcohol alternatives into your daily life.
Moderation Management
Most facilities, like inpatient rehabs, use a zero-tolerance approach, meaning that no use of any substance is allowed. Rehab facilities achieve this through random urine drug screens, group treatment programs, and care coordination. 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.
It’s vital to discuss your goals with a physician to determine how to stop drinking alcohol safely. Treatment professionals can advise if supervised detox is required, and provide next steps tailored to your needs. The decision to abstain from alcohol or attempt moderate drinking varies for each individual, with factors such as personal history, genetics, and environmental influences playing a role in determining the best approach. Abstinence is a powerful recovery strategy because it eliminates the risk of relapse, allowing individuals to stay focused on their recovery journey.
- To evaluate this question, it’s important to recognize that alcohol use disorder (AUD) is diagnosed on a spectrum, and can be addressed in different ways depending on the individual.
- In general, it doesn’t matter so much how you try to address your drug and alcohol use, it’s much more important that you start on the journey.
- They’ve already been dealing with mild to severe alcoholism for years—the DSM was just slow to catch on.
- This is especially true in light of the fact that moderate drinking might be good for health and intervention research shows us that changing behavior is possible.
Does Alcohol Help Anxiety?
First, let’s dive into the difference between abstinence (AKA sobriety) and moderation. Setting up personal guidelines and expectations—and tracking results—can make maintaining moderation easier. The sample size used in the study also leaves something to be desired and I would hope that further research would examine these effects with a bigger cohort and a more variable participant group. The same amount of alcohol is likely to have a bigger impact in your 60s or 70s than it did in your 20s.
Psychotherapy’s important role in addiction treatment
Cocktails and non-alcoholic spirits are delicious and refreshing options, allowing individuals to participate in social events without compromising their sobriety. Supportive friends and family members play a crucial role in addiction recovery, offering understanding and respect for the individual’s decision to remain sober. By surrounding themselves with positive influences, recovering alcoholics can find encouragement and reinforcement in their commitment to sobriety.
Eating Disorders Don’t Discriminate
- Alcohol can cause problems in relationships, such as conflicts, communication problems, and trust issues.
- Goodwin, Crane, & Guze (1971) found that controlled-drinking remission was four times as frequent as abstinence after eight years for untreated alcoholic felons who had “unequivocal histories of alcoholism”.
- With one sentence in a chapter titled “More About Alcoholism,” the authors of Alcoholics Anonymous, more affectionately referred to as The Big Book, defined the difference between abstinence and moderation.
By offering a range of recovery options, patients can take control of their recovery process and tailor their treatment to their unique needs. Ultimately, the choice between abstinence and moderation depends on the individual’s needs and preferences. An approach that focuses on the patient’s needs, wants and desires helps to ensure that the chosen path resonates controlled drinking vs abstinence with the patient’s values and is the most likely to succeed. Allowing patients to flexibly choose their own goals can lead to increased engagement, longer retention, and improved outcomes. During the intake at Wholeview, patients choose a goal of abstinence, moderation, or a mix of both (e.g., quitting cocaine, but having a drink or two occasionally).
Bio-resonance in Addiction Treatment
