Who Is Most Likely to Benefit from Moderation-focused Alcohol Treatment? Recovery Research Institute

If your own life has been a mess because Sober living home of your addictive behavior, why chance it? You have experienced enough consequences in your life that no one needs to tell you that you are fed up with your addictive behavior. If you are just starting your recovery program it may take time to make a decision on a commitment to abstinence before it is really firm in your heart. It needs to be something that you are really committed to and not just something you would like to do. If you or a loved one is struggling with drug or alcohol misuse, it may be time to seek help.

• Smarmore Castle has the facilities and staff to help you regain control of your life, request a call-back from one of our professionals today.
• These goals differ from person to person and range from total abstinence to reduced alcohol consumption.
• Thrivalist Founder Lucy Quick created an 8-week online sobriety course for women, to help them free themselves from the alcohol trap.
• While your relationship with alcohol is entirely personal, reflecting on outside influences can be helpful when considering the relative benefits of sobriety or moderation.
• We’re here 24/7 to help guide you or your loved on through rehab and recovery.
• Total abstinence is not the only option when changing your relationship with alcohol.
• These calls are offered at no cost to you and with no obligation to enter into treatment.

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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 abstinence. 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.

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• Yet in the background, Joey continues to puff away, confident in his ability to moderate.
• More people than ever are recognizing the negative effects of drinking alcohol and re-evaluating how it shows up in their life.
• When we eliminate alcohol completely, we may experience alcohol withdrawal, which in some cases can be life-threatening.
• Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center.
• Alcoholics in recovery are able to recover their lives, their mental, physical, and spiritual health, in addition to recovering their constitutional ability to abstain from alcohol.
• If you don’t consider yourself an alcoholic or don’t feel comfortable labeling yourself one, practicing moderation helps you avoid having that discussion when you’re not in the mood.

Let’s delve into the pros and cons of both approaches to help us decide which one is better for us. A moderation approach may be recommended for those who prefer a gradual approach to progress. Here are additional reflection questions from a therapist to help you understand your own relationship with alcohol, and if moderation meets your needs and preferences. Though sobriety has a clear definition, you may still be asking yourself, what is sobriety, and what will it mean to me?

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The social aspect of drinking may also be a disadvantage for someone who is abstaining. Let’s say we commit to abstinence, but then a social event comes up and we decide to have a sip, because why not? We haven’t had any in a while, and since we’ve been restricting alcohol completely, our brain could go into an all-or-nothing mindset. So, although abstinence is undoubtedly better for our overall health, there are some situations where abstinence may not be the best choice. No matter which path you choose, you deserve resources and support.

It’s https://ecosoberhouse.com/ a healthy step in a positive direction, and is often achievable with medication. It involves the use of medications like naltrexone which help reduce alcohol cravings. They’re able to enjoy an occasional drink while still avoiding negative drinking behaviors and consequences. For many, a moderation approach to drinking is more realistic because it shows people how to learn to drink in moderation.

• However, once this individual begins to experience consequences due to their drinking, they have no issue putting down the drink altogether.
• A study conducted at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden found that the Reagans of the world are more successful in treatment than the Saras.
• We are honored to have Ben writing exclusively for Dualdiagnosis.org.
• Moderation often requires that you take anti-craving medication for an indefinite period of time.
• A moderation management program called Harm Reduction, Abstinence, and Moderation Support (HAMS) centers on lifestyle-related cases of medication and liquor misuse.

It’s paramount that you have a “saying no to drinks” script that’s quick, polite, and convincing. Don’t be afraid of proudly reminding those around you that you’re a recovering alcoholic and you won’t be drinking. Alcohol consumption is so ingrained in society that most people experiment with alcohol before they reach legal age.

If your consumption of alcohol is high (more than 20 units a day) or you’ve previously experienced withdrawal symptoms, you may also be able to detox at home with medication to help ease withdrawal symptoms. A tranquiliser called chlordiazepoxide is usually used for this purpose. Some people may be prescribed medication to help achieve abstinence. You may also choose to attend self-help groups, receive extended counselling, or use a talking therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

You have experienced enough consequences in your day-to-day life that nobody needs to tell you that they are tired alcohol abstinence vs moderation of your addictive behavior. If you are just starting your moderation management program, you might need to invest some time trying to come up with a decision on a commitment to abstain from substance abuse before it becoming solid in your heart. Choosing something truly important to you does not mean simply wanting to do something. 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. This is not to say one may not go thorough a period of “day at a time,” or “week at a time,” or even try a “harm reduction” approach.