The information below was learned from the book
Recovery Options: The Complete Guide by Joseph Volpicelli and Maia Szalavitz. For more in-depth information, I highly recommend picking up a copy. There is also a
Kindle version of Recovery Options available for instant download. As a gentle reminder, I am not a doctor or substance abuse counselor of any kind.
According to 12-steppers, an alcoholic is a person who can never control their drinking habits, which makes teaching one how to moderate their drinking technically impossible. However, the DSM says that alcoholics continue to drink after a certain number of negative incidents related to their drinking. In this case, teaching someone how to drink responsibly and in moderation may be of benefit to them.
No one is denying that it is harder to learn moderation drinking than it is to maintain complete abstinence. Even folks who run these programs agree. But there are many social and emotional benefits to being able to drink in our society. Some people just don't like the idea of having to give up something completely; some would like a return to a time when they could hang out with friends and drink without making a fool of themselves. Whatever the reason, research proves that moderate-drinking programs are as effective as abstinence programs if your drinking problem is not that severe. For those who have severe and long-standing problems with alcohol, these programs are not very effective. That said, many alcoholics who would not be willing to try an abstinence program initially, will attempt a moderate-drinking program and, when they are unable to attain a measure of success, decide to quit drinking once and for all. Women are also more likely than men to succeed in these programs, mostly due to a lack of societal pressure on women to drink heavily.
One of the great bonuses for family and friends worried about a loved one's possible issues with alcohol is that it is much easier to convince someone to enter a moderate-drinking problem, especially when the person in question doesn't believe they have a problem. If they succeed, great; if they fail, it may open their eyes to the reality of their relationship with booze.
Most of these plans start with a 30-day period of abstinence, to transition between the problem drinking and the new habit of moderate drinking. If you cannot successfully abstain for thirty days, you are unlikely to succeed at a moderate drinking program. After this, drinking is permitted within specific guidelines. Here is one website of
Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines. Guidelines may also include rules such as never drinking and driving; they vary from program to program.
Participants track their drinks and report to a group or therapist. Over time and with counseling, a lighter pattern of drinking is established, or the person is encouraged to seek an abstinence-only program.
A recommended organization to check out is
Moderation Management.
The program's book is
Moderate Drinking: The Moderation Management (TM) Guide for People Who Want to Reduce Their Drinking.
You can also visit this site to learn about
DrinkWise, the program Martha Sanchez-Craig developed.
Her book is
Drink Wise: How to Quit Drinking or Cut Down.
A newer program (not mentioned in the book I'm reading) is called
Drink/Link.
One of the books for that program (there are several; the author is quite prolific) is
Moderate Drinking Made Easy Workbook. I'm always a little leary of programs that have a ton of books which all seem like the same information rehashed, but this workbook should be the cornerstone of the program. I generally don't recommend buying workbooks on the Kindle, but you may want to check out the sample before purchasing. In any case, the
Kindle Edition: Moderate Drinking Made Easy is here.
Unfortunately, since moderate-drinking programs are so controversial, it may be hard to locate one in your area and you will most likely not have a selection to choose from. Check around with various universities. Many who have centers to study alcohol and drug problems have researched this area and may be able to help. If you can't find anything, you may just have to wing it with "bibliotherapy".
The premier guide for doing a moderation-drinking program on your own is
Controlling Your Drinking: Tools to Make Moderation Work for You by William Miller. Research has been done tracking those who simply followed his guidebook, and the results are promising.
There is a
Kindle version of Controlling Your Drinking as well.
In all of these programs, medication may be of benefit to maintain a moderate-drinking lifestyle. The upside is it may make the program much easier; the downside is you will have to continuously and consistently take medication.
REMINDER: A supportive, empathetic counselor is key for succeeding in most treatments for drug or alcohol abuse. Having a confrontational counselor may actually be more harmful than having no counselor at all. So don't let yourself be abused in the name of healing!