While abstinence is the best choice for many problem drinkers, those who have not yet developed a serious dependence may be able to simply cut down on alcohol, according to a report in the Harvard Mental Health Letter.

For people with more-severe alcohol dependence – craving alcohol or suffering physical withdrawal symptoms when they don’t drink, for example – complete abstinence is considered to offer the best chance of recovery.

But research suggests that people with mild dependence can successfully cut their drinking to moderate levels for the long term, according to the new report.

In one study of problem drinkers who underwent behavioural therapy to reduce their drinking, researchers found that the odds of success over the next three to eight years were directly related to the severity of patients’ dependence.

Since it is often hard to convince problem drinkers to give up alcohol –even if they recognise the harm their drinking is causing – counselling on moderation offers one way to reach people with less severe alcohol dependence, according to Dr Michael Miller, editor-in- chief of the newsletter.

Demanding abstinence too soon may discourage people who are on the brink of dealing with their drinking problems, he notes in the report.

“Patients who try to limit drinking for a while and find they are unable to do so may then realise that they have already developed dependence,” he adds. “This may be enough to motivate them to try to abstain.”

Reuters Health

Source: Harvard Mental Health Letter, January 2009.