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For our analyses we coded time since resolving an AOD problem in choosing a drug rehab addiction program total years with decimal places. Participants were asked, “How long has it been since you resolved your problem with alcohol/drugs? For the former, participants reported last use of all substances at or before their age of problem resolution and for the latter, participants reported last use of at least one substance after age of problem resolution.

However, the NESARC QOL analyses examined transitions across AUD statusesover a three-year period, and thus inherently excluded individuals with more than threeyears of recovery. Donovan and colleagues(2005) reviewed 36 studies involving various aspects of QOL in relation to AUDand concluded that heavy episodic drinkers had worse QOL than other drinkers, that reduceddrinking was related to improved QOL among harmful drinkers, and that abstainers hadimproved QOL in treated samples (Donovan et al.2005). Traditional alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment programs most often prescribeabstinence as clients’ ultimate goal. Non-abstainers are younger with less time in recovery and less problem severitybut worse QOL than abstainers.

Additionally, moderation can be a slippery slope for some alcohol drinkers. Alcohol is toxic to our body, and major health  authorities such as the World Health Organizations (WHO) hold that no amount of alcohol is safe. The main argument against moderate drinking is that any amount of alcohol can be harmful. For some of us, moderate drinking might be more sustainable and lower our risk of excessive or binge drinking. If we’re transitioning from excessive drinking, moderate drinking can help our body get used to less alcohol in our system, decreasing the severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Moderate drinking can be a form of mindful drinking, as we’re setting limits on how much we’re choosing to drink. Mindful drinking is a practice that promotes drinking with more self-awareness. It depends on individual factors and our specific situation — and the counsel of our healthcare provider. We haven’t had any in a while, and since we’ve been restricting alcohol completely, our brain could go into an Website Access Denied all-or-nothing mindset. Let’s say we commit to abstinence, but then a social event comes up and we decide to have a sip, because why not?

Mindful Drinking vs. Moderate Drinking

In this study, Charlet and colleagues conducted a large review of 59 studies that addressed these important issues, providing key information on whether and to what extent changing drinking is beneficial. Much can be learned from research that investigates how reducing or quitting alcohol provides benefits in terms of individuals’ day-to-day lives. Furthermore, qualityof life appeared significantly better among abstainers than non-abstainers.

• Moderate drinking and abstinence may seem daunting, but we have just the tips for you.
• Rates of abstinent recovery in the current study (54.0%) were greater than those among individuals in alcohol use disorder remission from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (54.0% vs. 28.9%; Fan et al., 2019).
• People who are seeking treatment for alcohol dependence and whose goal is to quit drinking entirely are more likely to achieve this goal if they are treated by a care provider who advocates total abstinence.
• To this end, extensive effortswere made to recruit a diverse group of individuals who consider themselves in recovery totake the 15-minute, confidential online WIR survey which included questions about specificfacets of recovery.
• Recovery was defined by latent profile analyses based on psychosocial functioning and alcohol consumption three years following treatment.
• Over time, a sober lifestyle is better – abstinence indeed shows stronger positive outcomes compared to moderation.
• Four decades ago the “controlled drinking” controversy roiled the alcohol field.

Associated Data

Moderate drinking (also known as “controlled drinking”) consists of limiting our alcohol intake, thereby limiting alcohol’s negative effects on our health and well-being. Let’s take a deeper dive into the pros and cons of drinking in moderation versus abstinence to see how they stack up against each other. Future research that expands the scope of outcome indicators to include measures of biopsychosocial functioning and AUD diagnostic criteria50 is important for advancing understanding of the multiple pathways to recovery from AUD. For instance, rates of abstinence at year 10 for profiles 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 62.5%, 39.1%, 19.0%, and 50.0%, respectively. Abstinence three years following treatment did not predict better functioning ten years following treatment. Supplementary Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the differences in mean outcomes (with standard errors indicated by error bars) and Cohen’s d standardized mean differences between abstainers and drinkers.

Quit or Cut Back on Alcohol With Reframe!

Sex was included only in the self-esteem and quality of life/functioning models, and primary substance used was included only in the psychological distress model. Of note, individuals with current substance use may have been abstinent at some point since resolving their problem, which is a possibility not captured by this variable. Prior research has shown greater overall well-being among those who are abstinent or engaged in less frequent and intense substance use (Witkiewitz et al., 2019, Subbaraman and Witbrodt, 2014), as well as greater stability among those in abstinence-based alcohol use disorder remission (Dawson et al., 2007). And 3) What is the association between substance use status and current indices of well-being? At the same time, many individuals in the Project Match sample endorsed continued cannabis and other drug use over the course of follow-up, which may have influenced outcomes in unknown ways.

Weighted, controlled, regression analyses examined the influence of independent variables on substance use status. How do I make the choice between moderate drinking or abstinence from alcohol? So, whether we choose to quit or cut muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine alcohol back on alcohol, we’re taking a step in the right direction towards a healthier, happier life!

Participants were asked about their substance use history; specifically, which drugs they used ten times or more times in their lifetime. ’ study sought to characterize individuals that self-identify as being ‘in recovery’ (Subbaraman and Witbrodt, 2014). Subsequently, the authors found that abstinence in this sample at three years did not predict better psychological functioning at ten years (Witkiewitz et al., 2020).

People who are seeking treatment for alcohol dependence and whose goal is to quit drinking entirely are more likely to achieve this goal if they are treated by a care provider who advocates total abstinence. Researchers compared treatment outcomes at 3 and 12 months among patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence who, at baseline, preferred either abstinence or a treatment goal that did not include abstinence. There is controversy regarding controlled drinking versus abstinence as a treatment goal for alcohol use disorders. The controversial past of controlled drinking is slowly giving way to a hopeful future in which individuals are less likely to be forced into an abstinence-only treatment scenario.

• In the context of “harm reduction,” individuals may make positivechanges in their lives that do not include reduced alcohol use and may consider themselves“in recovery” even though their AUD status remains unchanged (Denning and Little 2012).
• According to the CDC, drinking moderately refers to two standard drinks or fewer a day for men and one standard drink or fewer a day for women.
• It is possible that these experiences are unrelated to substance use status in the current study because the nationally representative sample of individuals reporting problem resolution used here captured a broader, more heterogenous set of recovery experiences than more focused clinical and recovery-identified samples.
• Attempting controlled drinking in such cases often reinforces the addictive cycle rather than breaking it.
• While individuals who achieved both high functioning and abstinence/non-heavy drinking (profile 4) at three years had optimal long-term outcomes as a whole, individuals who have a combination of high functioning and more frequent heavy drinking (profile 3) also showed favorable long-term outcomes in psychosocial functioning.
• When it comes to choosing between total abstinence or limiting your intake, the answer isn’t black and white.

So, even if we think we’re practicing moderate drinking, we might not be. It can be easy to underestimate the amount of alcohol we actually drink. Alcohol in small amounts can still increase the risk of developing diseases.

Stephen A Maisto, PhD

Moderation is a method to reduce alcohol’s harmful effects by not drinking too much or too often. Drinking in moderation means consuming limited amounts of alcohol. It’s important to note that notable health organizations such as the WHO report that no amount of alcohol is good for our health. Alcohol abstinence refers to the total avoidance of alcohol. In our opinion, this advocates for a role of controlled alcohol consumption as ‘harm reduction’, focusing on the perspective of personal and communal recovery. Considering a medical perspective aiming for abstinence in alcohol consumption is preferred, which however results in large amounts of untreated patients and limited effectivity.

In one study with moderate drinkers who were drinking 3-6 drinks daily, reducing drinking by 67% was related to improved (i.e., reduced) blood pressure, an average of a reduction by 3 systolic points over 2 diastolic points. Generally, except in the most mild drinkers (less than 1 drink per day on average), drinking reductions are related to better cardio outcomes. This is known because drinking reductions were similar in the treatment and comparison groups. It appears to be something gained from the treatment itself, though, rather than the drinking reduction that is helpful.

Alcohol negatively affects all aspects of our life, including our physical, mental, and social health. Opting for a life without alcohol offers a range of benefits, but it’s important to recognize its unique challenges. While adhering to moderation guidelines at first, our consumption can ramp up, especially given the way alcohol hijacks our brain’s reward system. Moderate drinking also leaves the door open to increasing alcohol consumption.

For example, in three separate randomized trials, reduced drinking did not lead to changes in anxiety or life satisfaction. How the risks of drinking balance out this potential benefit, if it is found to be causal, for those with Type II diabetes is not yet clear. For individuals with Type II diabetes, reduced drinking provides no benefit in insulin; there even seems to be some data suggesting moderate drinking (up to 2 drinks per day) could help improve insulin sensitivity.

We do not know whether the WIR sample represents the population of individualsin recovery. However, these studies usedcontinued dependence or heavy drinking as reference groups and did not directly compareabstinent to non-abstinent recovery as we did here. Furthermore, the oddsof abstinent recovery increased linearly relative to time in recovery. Sample, the strongest factors related to non-abstinent recovery were fewer DSM alcoholdependence symptoms and younger age. Among individuals in recovery from alcohol problems in the What Is Recovery?

Links to NCBI Databases

For instance, abstaining from alcohol can decrease the risk of liver disease, improve cognitive function, and enhance emotional resilience. People suffering from alcoholism typically experience a physical and psychological dependence on alcohol, making it extremely challenging to maintain moderation. Besides, alcohol affects your sleep quality and mental health too; it’s not uncommon for people who drink regularly to struggle with anxiety or depression. Individual factors like personal motivation, mental health status, and support system also play a key role in determining how well someone will fare within a programme.