Such work is increasingly important if – as emerging research findings suggest – those most likely to increase consumption during the pandemic are already higher-risk drinkers. Emergent technologies relevant to home-based drinking practices – including apps that encourage users to ‘check in’ to alert their friends when they are drinking (see, for example, Beer with Me, 2020) – also present new opportunities for consumption that enable people to ‘drink socially’ even when physically separated. This challenges policymakers and practitioners to develop creative, responsive ways to bolster aspirations to drink moderately, and/or to warn against risks of alcohol-related harms linked to drinking alcohol at home. At the same time, understanding light and moderate home drinking can also provide important lessons for policymakers. To ignore the opportunities for those seeking to moderate or reduce their domestic alcohol consumption during the pandemic and its mandated lockdown(s) would constitute a missed opportunity to understand the triggers that may initiate drinking transitions and the strategies and processes that might sustain them. Greater understanding of domestic drinking patterns during the pandemic – and the strategies used by those making changes to their consumption – may offer valuable, wider lessons around ways in which individuals and communities might be supported to change their relationships with alcohol in a post-COVID context.
Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. Humphreys noted that counseling can be designed to facilitate engagement with AA — what he described as “an extended, warm handoff into the fellowship.” For the review article, Humphreys and his colleagues evaluated both AA and 12-step facilitation counseling. Alcoholics Anonymous, the worldwide fellowship of sobriety seekers, is the most effective path to abstinence, according to a comprehensive analysis conducted by a Stanford School of Medicine researcher and his collaborators. Plan the non-alcoholic beverages you’ll order or make instead of alcoholic versions.
Instead, the literature indicates that most people with SUD do not want or need – or are not ready for – what the current treatment system is offering. The association between greater time since problem resolution and lower risk substance use status possibly reflects an aging out of substance use (Heyman, 2010), or some individuals struggling to moderate their use and eventually gravitating toward abstinence. ‘Ageing out’ itself may consist of substance use becoming less compatible with individuals’ lifestyles and developmental contexts as they grow older. It could also be that chronic use of AOD begins to culminate in greater incidence of medical problems (e.g., through toxicity-related impacts) and continued use may exacerbate these medical issues or interfere with effective treatment for them (Eddie et al., 2019), again, promoting motivation to abstain or reduce use. For some, their decision to cut back on or abstain from drinking is connected to a desire to be healthier, save money, or reestablish their views on their alcohol consumption. These are all valid reasons, and many can accomplish their goals without needing a treatment center.
Furthermore, when alcohol begins to take priority over friends and family, work responsibilities, or personal health, it may be time to consider a treatment plan. Understanding your relationship with alcohol is easier said than done, but there are some signs to look out for if you or a loved one are dealing with alcohol https://ecosoberhouse.com/ abuse. Knowing the warning signs can be critical in determining when to seek treatment. 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.
For example, being at home made it easier to drink at times when alcohol would not normally be consumed and offered a space that lacked the ‘policing’ that might come from licensed venues, from others or from ‘self-monitoring’ in public. For further emphasis, here is a recent report by the American Institute for Cancer Research6 establishing that alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing breast cancer (high level of evidence). As it stands, alcohol, even in moderation, certainly is not getting much good press these days. Participants alcohol abstinence vs moderation were asked, “Which of the following substance use and/or mental health conditions have you ever been diagnosed with? This question was adapted from the Mental and Emotional Health section of the Global Appraisal of Needs (GAIN) questionnaire which asks, “Has a doctor, nurse or counselor ever told you that you have a mental, emotional or psychological problem, or told you the name of a particular condition you have or had? Moderation or abstinence can be a viable tool for adapting ones’ relationship with alcohol when safely achieved.
Furthermore, there is evidence that total alcohol and other drug (AOD) abstinence is not a requisite for achieving addiction recovery, defined here as an experience that captures both resolution of substance use problems and the development of a “healthy, productive, and meaningful life” (White, 2007). A subset of individuals—mostly those with lower SUD severity—resolve their substance use problem (Kelly et al., 2017) and experience improved health and well-being despite ongoing substance use (Stea et al., 2015, Witkiewitz and Tucker, 2020). Such ongoing substance use may mean moderating use of a primary problem substance or abstaining from one or more substances while continuing the use of others (e.g., abstaining from opioids while consuming cannabis). “Harm reduction” strategies, or moderation techniques, set more flexible goals in line with patient motivation.
This was also the case for older participants such as Bob, (60s), who was primarily a light pub drinker. As someone who already kept a record of how many units he drank each month, Bob found that his consumption in April and May combined was only a third of the total amount he drank in January. Other participants, such as Lois (58), explicitly positioned alcohol consumption as something to be done outside of domestic space, or as something bound up with socialising outside of the home.
The current review highlights multiple important directions for future research related to nonabstinence SUD treatment. Overall, increased research attention on nonabstinence treatment is vital to filling gaps in knowledge. For example, despite being widely cited as a primary rationale for nonabstinence treatment, the extent to which offering nonabstinence options increases treatment utilization (or retention) is unknown. In addition to evaluating nonabstinence treatments specifically, researchers could help move the field forward by increased attention to nonabstinence goals more broadly.
The results in the chart show the increased risk of developing alcohol dependency (we show results for illicit drug dependency in our topic page on drug use) for someone with a given mental health disorder (relative to those without). For example, a value of 3.6 for bipolar disorder indicates that illicit drug dependency became more than three times more likely in individuals with bipolar disorder than those without. The risk of an alcohol use disorder is highest in individuals with intermittent explosive disorder, dysthymia, ODD, bipolar disorder, and social phobia. Individuals with greater SUD severity tend to be most receptive to therapist input about goal selection (Sobell, Sobell, Bogardis, Leo, & Skinner, 1992).
It may not be easy to see now, but your life can be restored to where you are in control, your addiction and the urges will recede to an unpleasant memory. An “alcoholic” — the colloquial term for someone with alcohol use disorder (AUD) — is defined as a person who is unable to quit or cut back on alcohol despite negative consequences. For some, drinking in moderation might be an option, especially as a stepping stone to abstinence. If we feel that quitting alcohol is too restrictive and abstinence might backfire or trigger binge drinking, moderation might be a better choice. There’s no clear answer to the question of whether drinking in moderation or abstinence is better for everyone. It depends on individual factors and our specific situation — and the counsel of our healthcare provider.
