Controlled drinking after 25 years: how important was the great debate?

A quantification of the alcohol use‐consequences association in college student and clinical populations: A large, multi‐sample study

“…Among clinical samples, alcohol consumption was measured with either the Timeline Follow-Back 19,20 or the Form 90 interview 21 , which are calendar-based measures in which participants report the number of standard drinks they consumed on each day during the assessment window (e.g., past 90 days). Alcohol consumption was broken down into three indicators: average drinks per drinking day (DDD), percent heavy drinking days (PHDD, defined using the 4+/5+ binge/heavy drinking criterion), and percent drinking days (PDD, the converse of percent days abstinent, PDA).…”

Can Patients with Alcohol Use Disorders Return to Social Drinking? Yes, So What Should We Do about It?

“…P olemics on the issue of whether people with alcohol use disorders can learn to moderate their alcohol use have existed for decades (1). On one side of the debate are advocates of the disease, or 12-step, model of alcohol problems, who argue that individuals suffering from the disease will inevitably lose control of their use if exposed to any amount of alcohol.…”

Harm Reduction for Women in Treatment for Alcohol Use Problems: Exploring the Impact of Dominant Addiction Discourse

“…It has long been argued that harm reduction through controlled or managed drinking options departs from the dominant abstinence-focused, disease model interpretation of addiction and challenges the belief that alcohol use problems are a moral deficiency (Heather, 2006). More than 30 years of research suggest controlled use of alcohol is as successful as abstinence-based treatment and it can work for a range of severities as both a long- and short-term goal (Adamson, et al (2010); Ambrogne, 2002; Sobell & Sobell, 1995; van Amsterdam & van den Brink, 2013). Harm reduction policy contests the notion “alcoholics” have one of two options: abstain or drink in a “progressively deteriorating manner” (Marlatt et al, 1993; Neale et al, 2011).…”

“…Despite long-standing research evidence that shows harm reduction as a realistic alternative for individuals struggling with alcohol use problems (Davis & Rosenberg, 2013;Marlatt & Witkiewitz, 2010;Pauly et al, 2018;Sobell & Sobell, 1995;Stockwell et al, 2018;Vallance et al, 2016), harm reduction struggles to make progress and continues to be misunderstood. Yet, Amsterdam and Brink (2013) have also found that if people are given a treatment choice, they are more likely to experience success.…”