DIY Moderate Drinking Are you interested in moderating your drinking? Many individuals are! Here are two books which provide everything you need to know about DIY moderate drinking. Responsible Drinking: A Moderation Management Approach for Problem Drinkers This book, by Rotgers, F., Kern, M. & Hoeltzel, R. (CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2002) is the basic text of Moderation Management (MM), a support group which helps individuals moderate drinking, or abstain. The first two authors are addiction experts who also volunteer on MM’s Board of Directors. The final author was successful in the MM program. MM offers a summary of its program on its website, and you might wish to start there: www.moderation.org. This book, which provides in-depth coverage of MM’s rationale, the sci...

A. Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP 1)  Stay focused on the desired outcome, not the process.  You may be hoping to find the “right” treatment for a loved one.  Rather than insisting that your loved one do this or that (some treatment program you think will be helpful), focus on what you want: no more (or at least fewer) addiction problems.  Don’t get so caught up in the process of treatment that you lose sight of the goal.  Let your loved one determine what might be helpful.  Any program the user chooses is better than one forced on him or her. Starting with local outpatient treatment often makes more sense than going off for 28 days to residential treatment.  In many cases simply entering individual psychotherapy will be sufficient.  Don’t hold your loved one accountable for going throu...

In the news media, the typical expert describes addiction as a disease. Often these experts work at addiction treatment facilities. It would be easy to conclude that experts agree that addiction is hereditary, incurable, and lifelong. In the addiction field, this view is referred to as the “disease model.” There is significant disagreement about the disease model, but the scientists and professionals who view addiction in other ways do not receive the same media coverage. Why alternatives to the disease model (there are several) do not get more publicity is a story in itself. However, this article will focus on two reasons not to understand addiction as a disease. The first disadvantage of the disease model is that, for individuals with addiction problems, it is distracting. If I dri...

In addiction recovery, if your life is filled with non-pleasurable activities, you are more likely to relapse. The relapse will provide an intense, but only temporary, satisfaction. Let's explore what preventing relapse and the role that lifestyle balance plays in everyday life. Perhaps the greatest risk for imbalance comes when we are too focused on what we “should” do and not enough on what we want to do. Of course, we need to do what we should do. But in balance! One comparison for this is someone who places too large a portion of income into retirement funds. Daily life becomes constrained. There is also the risk that a “binge” of spending may undo the savings, to experience some more immediate well being. More balanced money management could prevent the desire for a binge. Li...

If you have had strong cravings, you may not need a description of one!  Like hunger (which is what we call craving for food), craving is a complete (cognitive, emotional, and physical) experience.  Your mind is distracted.  You feel tense and/or frustrated.  You get physically uncomfortable.  Craving motivates us to engage with whatever we are craving.  Craving is specific, although we may gain some relief by using a substitute.  If you are craving red wine, beer would be a (poor) substitute!  If you are just craving alcohol, beer or wine will do. You might also be interested in: Drug & Alcohol Cravings - 10 Useful Methods to Cope We only crave what we have had experience with.  If you have never used heroin, you can’t crave it.  You might have a “craving” to try it, but that is ...

There are three myths about alcohol treatment, according to some of the foremost researchers in the area, led by psychologist William R. Miller (Handbook of Alcoholism Treatment Approaches: Effective Alternatives, 3rd edition, edited by Hester & Miller, published in 2003 by Allyn & Bacon). The first myth, and possibly the worst, is that there is one and only one effective approach to addiction recovery. If you are seeking treatment and a facility tells you a version of this myth, it would be better to look elsewhere for help. Alcohol treatment research, and addiction treatment research generally, shows there is no single approach that is best for all individuals. Many Paths to Addiction Recovery The first principle of the 12 Guiding Principles adopted by SAMHSA’s Center for Su...

Within hours of Michael Jackson’s overdose, many asked, could an “intervention” have saved him, by persuading him to seek alcohol and drug rehab? Because it came out in the press that Jackson had actually experienced two interventions, the immediate answer to this question would appear to be that intervention was not helpful, at least to Jackson. But let us imagine what might have happened at these interventions, to understand more about intervention itself. What is an Addiction Intervention? The ‘Johnson Intervention’ is an organized confrontation in which the person with an addiction is misled into showing up somewhere (often by being told a lie), and then “ambushed” by as many significant others as can be recruited. Each person recites a prepared and rehearsed list of concerns and ...

Working Definition of Recovery: Recovery from alcohol and drug problems is a process of change through which an individual achieves abstinence and improved health, wellness, and quality of life. Guiding Principles of Recovery: There are many pathways to recovery:  Individuals are unique, with specific needs, strengths, goals, health attitudes, behaviors, and expectations for recovery.  Pathways to recovery are highly personal, and generally involve a redefinition of identity in the face of crisis or a process of progressive change.  Furthermore, pathways are often social, grounded in cultural beliefs or traditions, and involve informal community resources, which provide support for sobriety.  The pathway to recovery may include one or more episodes of psychosocial and/or pharmacologi...

Yes, but…let’s discuss how drugs and alcohol can actually have a beneficial effect on your social life (or at least appear to). In the second section let’s discuss why drug and alcohol use can still be a bad idea for you. How Drinking and Drugging Can Help Your Social Life One of the most frequent reasons people use drugs, and especially alcohol, is to improve their social ability, either in social groups or on dates: "I didn't know how to enjoy myself with others unless I did this.  And I could go on a date more easily." Related to this benefit of using is the possibility of overcoming social awkwardness: "When I did this I didn't feel insecure, bashful, shy, ill at ease, inadequate, or left out." You may also be interested in: Self-Confidence vs. Self-Esteem Perhaps you don’t ...

Why We Cope: No one complains about feeling happy! But we don’t want to have other, painful feelings. When these feelings arise, one way to respond to them is to drink or drug. One set of painful feelings can be broadly labeled fear or anxiety: ”Drugs and/or alcohol helped me cope with feelings like anxiety, tension, fear, stress, agitation, nervousness, vulnerability, intimidation, embarrassment, and panic.” Other painful feelings center around sadness and depression: ”They helped me cope with feelings like depression, sadness, hurt, discouragement, grief, feeling defeated, feeling deprived or feeling abandoned.” There are many other painful feelings as well: a) frustration, resentment, anger, annoyance, irritability, and rage b) feeling remorseful, ashamed, guilty, responsible, ...