Abstinence Not the Only Path to Recovery

Most people who adhere to the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that total abstinence from drinking is the only route to recovery, but some addiction experts say that many drinkers can successfully curtail their dangerous drinking without giving up alcohol completely, the Los Angeles Times reported Nov. 16.

“We’re on the cusp of some major advances in how we conceptualize alcoholism,” said Mark Willenbring, director of treatment and recovery research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “The focus now is on the large group of people who are not yet dependent. But they are at risk for developing dependence.”

Abstinence remains the best course for the profoundly addicted, but those who have not hit “rock bottom” may be able to control their drinking, experts said. The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions has shown that 30 percent of Americans have experienced an alcohol disorder, but 70 percent of them either quit drinking on their own or cut their drinking back to safer levels.

“It can be a chronic, relapsing disease. But it isn’t usually that,” Willenbring said.

“For a long time there was an emphasis on alcoholism as if it were one thing,” said USC addiction researcher Carol Prescott. “I think that has been abandoned. People with alcohol-related problems don’t all look the same at all. Some people only have problems for a short time. Others develop disorders that are ultimately fatal to them.”

“People with mild to moderate alcohol disorders can be treated with medications or behavioral therapy with a primary care doctor,” said Willenbring. “But many people can do this on their own without having a professional. The idea is teaching people how to reevaluate their drinking.”

“It’s a safer prescription to tell someone to quit,” said Prescott. “But the studies suggest that a large proportion of people are able to cut down and aren’t out-of-control.”