moderation management

[bob_sapp]

Moderation Management
What is the consensus on moderation management?

[nolonger]

Don't know about the consensus, but it wouldn't work for me, except to prove something I already know. That for me one drink leads to another to another to another to another: the brakes are faulty, and there's no fixing them.

[StayinAlive]

i think its for problem drinkers before they actually become alcoholics.

" there are four times as many problem drinkers as alcoholics in this country. Yet there are very few programs that specifically address the needs of beginning stage problem drinkers, while there are literally thousands of programs for the smaller population who are seriously alcohol dependent."

[Dee74]

Don't anything about the MM group beyond the usual scuttlebutt...not interested in repeating that.

As for moderation itself - never worked for me, or anyone else I know who eventually worked out they were an alcoholic, Bob.

D

[windysan]

I ain't an akaholic. I drink a few beers now and then and it ain't a big deal. I do stay away from dope though.

[nandm]

Isn't one of the big problems of alcoholics denial? I denied I was an alcoholic for years after I had evidence staring me in the face that I was an alcoholic. Although I believe there a normal drinkers out there I have to wonder if they are truly normal drinkers then why would they need to learn to moderate. None of the normal drinkers I know had to learn to moderate.

[windysan]

I know plenty of dopers who drink on occasion and don't turn into akaholics. I never met an akaholic who could control his drinkin, or a cokehead who could control his cokin....but then I don't know a lot of people either. I'm sure many can moderately drink. Because I was a doper and not an akaholic I saw in the Big Book of Akaholics where you could try some controlled drinking. I did that and I can take or leave the stuff. I'm thinking that if you're an akaholic then you prolly shouldn't try to moderate....do some controlled drinking like the Big Book says and see what happens. Prollems with work, family then quitting for good might be best.

[Eroica]

Moderation Managment is dangerous because it gives people who have a drinking problem the illusion/hope that they can somehow control their problem. People who drink moderately don't give a second thought about. Why torture yourself by "allowing" yourself two drink a day???? If that's moderation no thanks.

-Eroica

[warrens]

Been there, done that. It can be valuable, though. I removes any doubts one has about where the power resides.

warren

[steamvessel]

This is interesting, it would be nice to believe. But, none of the alcoholics I know have te kind of reasoning or discipline this requires when they are drinking. It's not like we haven't tried this over and over again. Maybe they are on to something with the act of conditioning ourselves to be responsible while drinking, but I know for sure this will not work for some.

[bob_sapp]

What I don't get is why there is a program with rules for people who don't really have a problem. I mean, who else would looking at this program?

[Eroica]

MM does ask you to abstain from alcohol for 30 days before attempting moderation. Its step two of their program.

WhatisMM

-Eroica

[steamvessel]

It almost reminds me of those commercials for rogaine where they tell people there is hope for their thinning hair, and they can get it back! Facing reality is a hard thing to do, we'd all love to believe that we can moderate our alcohol use, but I don't think it's very realistic.

[steamvessel]

One thing I just noticed on their website:

By the time people reach serious stages of alcohol dependency, changing drinking becomes more difficult, and treatment is usually costly. MM believes that this situation needs to be remedied in the interest of public health and human kindness with early intervention and harm reduction programs. Moderation programs are less costly, shorter in duration, less intensive, and have higher success rates than traditional abstinence-only approaches

I'd like to see the research that shows the higher success rates. What was the group? I'd highly doubt this was a controlled study. In one instance you have a group of people with serious alcoholism, a large part that are forced into AA programs, and another group of people who are voluntarily involved in a moderation management group. I wonder who is going to have a higher success rate? And what's the measure of success? The people in the AA group have to quit forever, whereas the moderation management group can still drink and be considered successful

[Bel303]

It sounds risky, but it probably has its place. I'm thinking along the lines of the way some people substitute one addiction for the other. Managing one addiction might be better than calling oneself `sober' only to become addicted to something else more harmful. For example I've known clubbers to swing between pills and booze. Booze was the lesser evil, for a time.

[barb dwyer]

It would be lethal for me.
I think Windy puts it best.

[zencat]

Can't say I have or would try MM. I use to abuse and not using is my way now.

[LosingmyMisery]

If I could moderate, there wouldn't be a problem. It is a contradiction in terms.