Welcome all to our long term moderator site! :welcome:
Newbies and folks hanging around for a while seem to eventually have the same question which is “can one really moderate successfully?”. I have researched this area ever since I have joined MWO 5 years ago and I would like to share some of the information I have gathered to answer this question. Remember, this is my opinion and you may not agree, but my beliefs work for me in my moderating program which I feel is pretty successful. My hope is that you can find success too, and if not, then I hope that this site has served as a stepping stone for you to have sought help and realized abstaining is the choice you need to make.
Advocates of the 12 step model believe that all people with drinking problems are "in denial" and need to "hit bottom" before they will align themselves with treatment. Marlatt (1993) contends that it is more likely that many of these people simply don’t wish to enter treatment with an all or nothing approach and would be more compliant if offered alternatives. Pressuring all people with drinking problems to abstain ignores the fact that drinking problems can range from mild to severe (life-threatening). Many people (usually 20 something folks) experience alcohol abuse stages which most outgrow. Yet if they get caught drinking and driving they are labeled alcoholic and the only treatment offered are abstinence based programs.
Results from a study in the 1970’s suggested that moderation might be a preferable treatment goal for some alcoholics. The study was conducted by Mark and Linda Sobel (1975) and showed that at one year, controlled drinking clients were found to be functioning well for a mean of 71% of all days, as opposed to abstinence group who were functioning well on only 35% of days. At a two-year follow-up, the figures were 85% and 42% respectively.
The trick (from what I have discovered with years of researching this) is that controlled drinking seems to only work for those people who were never physically dependent on alcohol to begin with. Individuals do best if they score less than 14 on the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS). Research also only supports success in moderate drinking if excessive drinking is the main presenting problem. Polysubstance abusers don?t fare as well. Go to this site to take the ADS test to see if moderating rather than abstaining may be a possibility for you. http://www.recoverynowla.com/images/ADS.pdf
The bottom line is most experts believe that people would do something about their alcohol problem sooner if they were offered a choice between abstinence and a moderate drinking approach. I believe some people come to the mod board knowing in their hearts that abstinence is a better choice for them but they are just not ready to make a permanent commitment yet. When they can experiment and make their own decision when they are emotionally ready, many often can let go of moderation and move towards the AF sites for support for an abstinent lifestyle.
:l
Eve11
References:
Marlatt, G.A. Larimer, M.E., Baer, J.S. & Quigley, L.A.(1993). Harm reduction for alcohol problems: moving beyond the controlled drinking controversy. Behavior Therapy: 24(4), 461 - 504.
Sobell, M.B. & Sobell, L.C. (1995). Controlled drinking after 25 years: How important was the great debate? Addiction, 90, 1149-1153. Therapy, 4, 49 - 72.
A good site for more information regarding this subject:
The Controlled Drinking Debates: A Review of Four Decades of Acrimony - doctordeluca.com
Newbies and folks hanging around for a while seem to eventually have the same question which is “can one really moderate successfully?”. I have researched this area ever since I have joined MWO 5 years ago and I would like to share some of the information I have gathered to answer this question. Remember, this is my opinion and you may not agree, but my beliefs work for me in my moderating program which I feel is pretty successful. My hope is that you can find success too, and if not, then I hope that this site has served as a stepping stone for you to have sought help and realized abstaining is the choice you need to make.
Advocates of the 12 step model believe that all people with drinking problems are "in denial" and need to "hit bottom" before they will align themselves with treatment. Marlatt (1993) contends that it is more likely that many of these people simply don’t wish to enter treatment with an all or nothing approach and would be more compliant if offered alternatives. Pressuring all people with drinking problems to abstain ignores the fact that drinking problems can range from mild to severe (life-threatening). Many people (usually 20 something folks) experience alcohol abuse stages which most outgrow. Yet if they get caught drinking and driving they are labeled alcoholic and the only treatment offered are abstinence based programs.
Results from a study in the 1970’s suggested that moderation might be a preferable treatment goal for some alcoholics. The study was conducted by Mark and Linda Sobel (1975) and showed that at one year, controlled drinking clients were found to be functioning well for a mean of 71% of all days, as opposed to abstinence group who were functioning well on only 35% of days. At a two-year follow-up, the figures were 85% and 42% respectively.
The trick (from what I have discovered with years of researching this) is that controlled drinking seems to only work for those people who were never physically dependent on alcohol to begin with. Individuals do best if they score less than 14 on the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS). Research also only supports success in moderate drinking if excessive drinking is the main presenting problem. Polysubstance abusers don?t fare as well. Go to this site to take the ADS test to see if moderating rather than abstaining may be a possibility for you. http://www.recoverynowla.com/images/ADS.pdf
The bottom line is most experts believe that people would do something about their alcohol problem sooner if they were offered a choice between abstinence and a moderate drinking approach. I believe some people come to the mod board knowing in their hearts that abstinence is a better choice for them but they are just not ready to make a permanent commitment yet. When they can experiment and make their own decision when they are emotionally ready, many often can let go of moderation and move towards the AF sites for support for an abstinent lifestyle.
:l
Eve11
References:
Marlatt, G.A. Larimer, M.E., Baer, J.S. & Quigley, L.A.(1993). Harm reduction for alcohol problems: moving beyond the controlled drinking controversy. Behavior Therapy: 24(4), 461 - 504.
Sobell, M.B. & Sobell, L.C. (1995). Controlled drinking after 25 years: How important was the great debate? Addiction, 90, 1149-1153. Therapy, 4, 49 - 72.
A good site for more information regarding this subject:
The Controlled Drinking Debates: A Review of Four Decades of Acrimony - doctordeluca.com
. I initially liked the "idea" of being an alcohol free person but I also liked the idea of being a vegetarian, it felt more like an experiment at first. I was also afraid that I couldn't do it. I think it was within the range of "normal" for me to be unsure both in terms of goals and execution. When I came here I was a nightly heavy drinker, and with the help of the CDs, supplements, and support from the MWO community I was able to fairly quickly get a week, then two, then my first month alcohol free, then three months, five months, etc. I had to get away from alcohol for quite a while to see how it actually affected me when I did drink. I had to get alcohol out of my house in the big sense, my expectations, and see who I was in body, mind, and spirit without it. There hasn't been a line that I crossed from drinking to abstinence, my drinks just got fewer and fewer and farther and farther apart. I can moderate but I find quickly that I simply feel better without alcohol. No drama, I did the same thing thirty years ago with cigarettes which I guess is unusual, so it is probably part of my constitution. Love and peace, Ladybird.
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