Abstinence vs Moderation: Which is Right for You?

Once they’ve decided they want to make a change, a question many people find themselves asking is whether sobriety or moderation is a better option for them. Even if you could choose to stop using drugs and alcohol on your own, you could end up with dry drunk syndrome or potentially relapse. Healing from addiction is about doing the work to address your fears and troubled past so you https://www.healthworkscollective.com/how-choose-sober-house-tips-to-focus-on/ can find joy in your sobriety. The first step to living a sober lifestyle is to understand your triggers. Knowing what triggers you and what makes you behave in a way that you would otherwise avoid can be a valuable tool in your sobriety. Once you find these triggers, you can begin to create a plan of action to help you avoid the situations or behaviors that cause you to relapse.

Sobriety or abstinence is simply the act of not using drugs or alcohol. Recovery, on the other hand, is a shift in mindset, a change in lifestyle, and a long-term commitment to not only abstain from using substances but to continue improving daily. You can be sober and be in recovery, but being sober alone does not necessarily mean you are in recovery. These health risks can be severe, and some even contribute to alcohol-related mortality rates. On the other hand, upon cutting back on drinking, many heavy drinkers experience improvements in sleep, cognitive function, weight loss, productivity, interpersonal relationships, energy, and overall mental health.

Being Sober in Relation to Alcohol

The majority of those not interviewed were impossible to reach via the contact information available (the five-year-old telephone number did not work, and no number was found in internet searches). A second, more subtle meaning for sobriety is that a person has a serious approach to life. Being “sober as a judge” doesn’t mean just not being intoxicated—it means going about your business in a steady, mindful manner. First, let’s dive into the difference between abstinence (AKA sobriety) and moderation. Ethos Structured Sober Living is an all male community in recovery located in the heart of West Los Angeles.

Our residential treatment can help individuals learn how to cope with situations that trigger a relapse. Researchers conclude that the available evidence does not support abstinence as the exclusive strategy for treating alcohol use disorders. Where an abstinence-oriented approach is not appropriate, controlled drinking looks to be a viable choice, mainly if supported by specialist psychotherapy. Being sober, often known as sobriety, is the absence of intoxication. Sobriety is frequently used in addiction and mental health treatment to describe a person’s decision to abstain from substance use.

Ways of Knowing You’re Addicted to Sex

To avoid relapse and remain sober, it’s important to develop healthy relationships. One study found that mutual support groups can be as effective as 12-step programs and may help improve the odds of success for people who are committed to maintaining a lifetime of total abstinence. The treatment approaches just summarized are only a few examples of the wide range of treatment options available.

• To evaluate this question, it’s important to recognize that alcohol use disorder (AUD) is diagnosed on a spectrum, and can be addressed in different ways depending on the individual.
• Once you experience these great joys, you can share with those that still may be struggling and give them hope for a life free from drugs and alcohol.
• Inhibiting the gene activity regulating these two neuroimmune targets inhibited alcohol binge drinking in P rats.
• It’s also important to remember that it’s not a permanent line between “moderate drinkers” and “abstainers.” You can always reevaluate your relationship with alcohol and revisit your goals.

But the word sober literally means not drunk at that moment, whereas abstinence is the word that describes the more lasting commitment to not consuming alcohol. Ask yourself what were the excuses you gave yourself to use and dispute them. If you do slip, the outcome does not have to be an experience without worth, it can be a powerful learning experience.

Theories of Treatment

However, it could be risky or impossible to keep depending on your physical, mental, and addiction background. Although abstinence is difficult to maintain, it might be the best choice for you and your loved ones if you have support and coping mechanisms. Addiction affects your mood, and this must be addressed if you’re going to have a successful recovery. On the other hand, sobriety refers to a condition whereby a person does not have measurable effects or levels of alcohol or other drugs.

The psychological tension during a person’s recovery is often due to this ambivalence. However, once you have reached a certain level, you can begin sharing your sobriety with the rest of the world. If you are a recovering alcoholic or addict, you can share your story with others in recovery and celebrate your progress. While abstinence cannot be tested, sobriety can be tested by the use of a breathalyzer or field sobriety tests. Anger is a normal and natural emotion, but how you deal with it will make a difference in maintaining your recovery.

A commitment to sobriety means that you are committed to a course of action, understanding that it is not an easy task and one that takes a great deal of patience, persistence and practice. We are not perfect beings, we are fallible and breaking a commitment is not the same as giving up on one. A permanent commitment means we are committed to a course of action for the future and we will do every thing in our power to fulfill and maintain that commitment.

• Read and find out why sobriety is the more rewarding and effective method to stopping addiction, and why abstinence is just the bare minimum solution.
• And the elimination of the possibility of moderation eliminates policy discussions not only about legalizing drugs, but about how we can encourage sensible drug use now that marijuana is being legalized.
• Proactively cutting back on drinking can start to illuminate how drinking less can give you more, and create the mental clarity to identify your goals and values.
• But, most important of all, the idea that moderation is impossible prevents people facing addictions from considering their possibilities in optimal ways.

Further, describing recovery as a process also implies paying attention to contributing factors outside the treatment context, such as the importance of work, family and friends. While moderation may be more achievable for those with a mild or moderate diagnosis than those with severe alcohol use disorder, it’s also a great starting point for those exploring making a change. With the support of an expert Care Team, many people begin their journey by gradually reducing their weekly alcohol consumption. The idea of moderation and mindful drinking is also a great way for people who are asking themselves “should I stop drinking? Proactively cutting back on drinking can start to illuminate how drinking less can give you more, and create the mental clarity to identify your goals and values. There are no requirements for changing your relationship with alcohol and seeking treatment.

By cultivating gratitude, you will be more successful and happier in your lives. By creating more passion in your lives, you will be better equipped to maintain sobriety for life. There are many factors to consider, and achieving sobriety is not the same for every person. In addition to the addiction, other factors play a significant role.

You have experienced enough consequences in your life that no one needs to tell you that you are fed up with your addictive behavior. If you are just starting your recovery program it may take time How to Choose a Sober House: Tips to Focus on to make a decision on a commitment to abstinence before it is really firm in your heart. It needs to be something that you are really committed to and not just something you would like to do.

Ethos Recovery

However, other work in this neuroimmune arena showed that disruption of CCL2 or its receptor Ccr2 reduced preference for alcohol in female mice (Blednov et al., 2005). Similarly mice lacking other components of the TLR/MyD88 pathway showed differences in ethanol drinking that were dependent on MyD88 itself (increased drinking) or TLR2 (decreased drinking) (Blednov et al., 2017). Overall these findings suggest that manipulations of the neuroimmune system may influence alcohol drinking. On a deeper level, living a sober lifestyle can mean you choose not to drink alcohol for the long-term.