Abstinence is the traditional method of recovery where you completely avoid abuse substances like alcohol or drugs. If seeking treatment, long-term abstinence is possible to do compared to without. According to the World Health Organization, 18.9% of the European population abstain. Moderation Management is a treatment program that teaches you how to regulate your drinking without being dependent. There has been a continuous debate as to the best method. Abstinence is the best source of treatment as drugs and alcohol are not a necessity to have in your system and using every once in awhile will make you more tempted.
In Moderation Management, those who are not physically dependent on drugs or alcohol tend to suffer delirium tremens or cravings. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says there are 17.7 million that feel this method is helpful when limiting their drinking. This program has an online, interactive calendar where members can report when they drink or use drugs to track their patterns and be held responsible. There are in-person meetings and message boards so that members can talk about their struggles and be praised for their achievements. Men are encouraged to have no more than four drinks at a time and no more than fourteen a week whereas women can have no more than three at once and no more than nine a week.
Criticism follows that most see moderation as an excuse to relapse. 1994 was when Moderation Management was introduced by Audrey Kishline who did not find her alcoholism to be a disease but yet admitted that moderation did not work for her. Also, that one time someone moderates could be the last as a single episode of binge-drinking, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said 2,200 die from alcohol poisoning. According to the Office of National Statistics, there have been 1,201 death from heroin which have doubled in the past three years. Many see Moderation Management as a free pass to continue giving in to their addiction when they obviously have a problem that needs to be fixed. In The Fix’s article “Moderation Vs. Abstinence,” 30% of those who cannot maintain end up in abstinence programs later on. The best course of treatment is abstinence in order to learn to be stronger than your addiction and to never have to depend on it again.
