JeffreyAK

Countless corpses in graves question the accuracy of the conclusion. Addiction (= chemical dependency) demonstrably exists, and can't be willed or desired away, no matter what we want to believe about ourselves. I think various forms of "moderation management" are absolutely viable for some fraction of the population with substance abuse problems, and they can and do help some people live happier lives - the problem is, they'll never work for the rest of that population, yet the belief that they might can be a central cause of the descending spiral of negative consequences that many of us have seen first-hand.

It's not at all about what you believe about yourself, it's the objective reality on the ground that matters, can you or can you not drink moderately and without alcohol ruling your life? A reality we unfortunately often cannot fully grasp when we're active addicts.

Having said that, I also don't know if the conclusion accurately reflects what is in the book. But if the authors are still drinking, that does suggest to me that there is a strong element of "moderation management" here, and after all MM also advocates abstinence if that winds up being the best path.