What is considered moderate drinking? Is it bad for you?
This method acknowledges that for some individuals, complete abstinence may not be a realistic or necessary solution. By practicing moderation, you strive to set boundaries and develop self-control, allowing yourself to indulge in the addictive behavior within predetermined limits. As a premier addiction rehabilitation and dual diagnosis treatment center, Great Oaks Recovery Center outside of Houston, Texas can help. Our board-certified medical professionals offer a multi-faceted treatment program that meets you where you are and provides an opportunity to design a healthy life on your terms. Trust that we’ll work together to develop a continuum of care plan that enables you to live your best life. Learn more about our whole-person healing philosophy by consulting a member of our admissions team today.
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Safe Harbor Recovery Center, located in Portsmouth, Virginia, serves men and women who have been diagnosed with substance use disorders. Many of our clients struggle with addiction to alcohol, prescription opioids, heroin, methamphetamines, cocaine, and a variety of other drugs. It shouldn’t be a challenge to enjoy a few beers at a barbecue or wind-down cocktails with friends after work. Unfortunately, many factors contribute to alcohol addiction, so some people are simply healthier if they opt not to drink. However, there are other reasons to choose not to consume alcohol, which often helps reduce the stigma of being the only person not partaking. In some cases, a combined approach incorporating elements of both abstinence and moderation may be the most effective path to recovery.
Moderation is an Option
When considered as an entire sample of 84 individuals, participants evidenced significant reductions in all three outcomes over the 7 week intervention period (total drinks, drinking days, and drinks per drinking day). Study authors used data from their prior randomized trial that tested two motivational interventions and one comparison condition where individuals were simply encouraged to reduce their drinking taking place over 7 weeks. We’ve had more than 50 years and over 20,000 clients to develop an exceptional program.
- If one drink still leads to several more, attempting moderation isn’t the safest choice.
- The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism explains in great detail how alcohol affects your brain and the stages of the addiction cycle.
How to choose between couples therapy and individual therapy
It’s also essential to recognize that treatment philosophies can significantly impact recovery outcomes, highlighting the need for personalized approaches that extend beyond traditional therapeutic methods. For those seeking help with alcohol-related issues, understanding the treatment options available could be an important first step toward recovery. Social Circles and Environmental Influences also impact a person’s relationship with alcohol post-treatment. The environment one is surrounded by can either support or challenge their efforts to maintain moderate drinking habits. The traditional perspective on alcohol consumption for individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) strongly advocates for total abstinence.
Maintain your profile by updating your photos, video links, treatment services, and contact details to ensure optimal visibility. We list any treatment center that meets our rehab criteria, giving you the best list of options possible when looking for treatment. On day 10 and debating whether to have 1-2 drinks at my good friend’s wedding this weekend to take the pressure off a little without going overboard. Symptoms of withdrawal can include anxiety, confusion, heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, shaking and tremors, and insomnia. These symptoms can range from mild to life-threatening, so it is imperative to understand your relationship with alcohol to avoid withdrawal.
One of the best ways is to remember why you are making the commitment. The consequences of using should be remembered, not with a guilty conscience, but in a realistic portrayal of why you have chosen sobriety. Also to be remembered are the experiences and feelings that come from Halfway house abstinence. Alcohol moderation programs are endorsed as an effective option by organizations like the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Sinclair Method (TSM), which involves taking the drug naltrexone to relearn moderation, has a success rate of 78%. Along with his colleagues, in the presentation, Vasavada will discuss the scientifically sound pros and cons of both abstinence and drinking in moderation for individuals with AUD.
If you or someone you care about misuses alcohol, it is important to understand this difference and how effective each model is. Take the first step toward addiction treatment by contacting us today. These individuals notably made up just 14% of the sample, the smallest group of the three. At least based on these data, they are likely to make up a minor sub-set of individuals who seek moderation-focused treatment. In general, “more serious” consequences are not reversible, and call for an immediate and serious response like rehab, abstinence, and support groups. “Less serious” consequences might not be ideal, but they are generally repairable and reversible, and might give you more time and leeway to experiment with moderation to see if it might work for you.
Ours is a “no excuses” program, we are responsible for our decisions and behaviors; we have a choice. There is a feeling of freedom that results from this commitment where one does not feel hopeless or without choices. Combined with a consistent and aggressive disputing of urges to use, most find their messages to use either decrease to nothing or become infrequent and easily handled.
If you or someone you know is struggling with a drinking problem, don’t wait any longer. Countless treatment options can help them conquer their addiction and manage any withdrawal symptoms. It’s essential moderation vs abstinence to have the support and supervision of drug addiction specialists by your side.
Spend time self-reflecting
In such cases, you may need to reevaluate your environment and relationships, ensuring that they are conducive to your recovery goals. Many individuals with an alcohol use disorder that wish to change their drinking, however, have a goal of moderation – sometimes referred to as “harm reduction” – rather than complete abstinence. Indeed, moderation appears to be a viable pathway to alcohol use disorder https://ecosoberhouse.com/ remission for some. Identifying who will be most likely to respond to these moderation-focused alcohol treatments will be key to clinical recommendations and policies related to moderation versus abstinence.
Alcohol consumption may also play a role in certain mental health conditions, like depression and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. But for many people who don’t have the issues listed above, the decision about whether to cut back on drinking or cut it out completely may be harder to figure out. A first step is to be honest with yourself about what your drinking currently looks like. Look back over the past few weeks and try to determine how many drinks you’ve had on an average day and an average week. Once you have a clear idea of where you are, you can better determine where you want to go.
For example, if a loved one expresses concern and gives a request, the drinker will successfully quit and not look back. Researched, fact-checked and transparent articles and guides that offer addiction and mental health insight from experts and treatment professionals. Recovery is about more than just stopping the substance use—it’s about rebuilding your life.