Moderate Drinking and Moderation Management

Moderate Drinking and
Moderation Management

by Reid K. Hester, Ph.D.

Fifteen years ago I was diagnosed as an alcoholic and went through treatment. I was also diagnosed with clinical depression. After nine years of sobriety, I decided I wanted to feel good and began drinking in the evenings and only at home. It has worked pretty good. I am becoming more and more certain that my moods have to do with input of pure sugar. Is this possible or another form of denial?

I have not seen any convincing empirical evidence that sugar plays a significant role in clinical depression or alcohol problems. Now I cannot tell whether you were appropriately diagnosed as alcoholic (alcohol dependent) and having a Major Depression. But if you've continued to have a depressed mood even with many years of sobriety, I would advise you to seek professional evaluation. There are many effective therapies for depressive disorders and it would be better to get appropriate treatment than to self-medicate with alcohol.

I am also glad to hear that you are keeping your drinking at a moderate level. I'm assuming this means no more than two or three 5 oz. glasses of wine or 12 oz. beers over the course of an evening and not every evening. However, drinking to elevate your mood is risky business. You are going through a transition period in your life and if you've had problems with alcohol in the past, you are at some risk for developing alcohol problems now in this transition.

However, if you decide to continue drinking I would strongly suggest you consider joining Moderation Management, a self-help group with a focus on moderate drinking. According to the NIAAA and many other independent researchers, 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. This program helps people develop a moderation program. Their web site is http://www.moderation.org/. You can join the group from their site.

Good luck!

About the Author:

Reid K. Hester, Ph.D., Director, Research Division, Behavior Therapy Associates, 9426 Indian School Rd NE, Suite 1, Albuquerque, NM 87112. Phone: 505.345.6100.

Dr. Hester is has developed an evidence-based, web application called ModerateDrinking.com to help heavy drinkers be successful in changing their drinking. A video demo of the program is available at www.behaviortherapy.com

Originally published 02/19/98
Revised 8/15/08 by Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D.

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