Your Wish Is Granted, Says New Study
Wouldn’t it be great if we could all drink and use moderately? It’s the age-old question we alcoholics and addicts have pondered tirelessly. According to doctors quoted in a recent article in The New York Times, we can.
The article – “A Different Path to Fighting Addiction” – explores the idea that Alcoholics Anonymous isn’t the only solution.
It outlines programs that reject AA and the idea that addiction is a disease that lasts for the rest of your life.
I have been sober for 35 months or 1,058 days. The Alcoholics Anonymous program has worked for me so far. But apparently there are alternatives out there. This article doesn’t contain interviews with actual alcoholics, so I am skeptical, but let’s hear the NYT out.
Doctors in the article note that anti-craving drugs like naltrexone, which blocks the stimulation of the brain while using substances, can be effective.
“’A 2002 study conducted by researchers at the University of New Mexico and published in the journal Addiction showed that motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy and naltrexone, which are often used together, are far more effective in stopping or reducing drug and alcohol use than the faith-and-abstinence-based model of A.A.,’” the article says.
It makes reference to the Center for Motivation and Change (CMC), which believes that interventions and “tough love” frequently backfire.
The CMC advocates motivational interviewing, psychotherapy, goal-oriented counseling, “moderation management” and cognitive behavioral therapy.
According to the Big Book of AA – alcoholism is a lifelong disease that can’t be cured. The CMC and others beg to differ.
“’A federally financed study of 43,000 randomly selected Americans, called the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, or Nesarc, found that 75 percent of those who are heavy drinkers eventually regain control without rehab or A.A.,’” Dr. Peele – a Brooklyn psychologist who has studied addiction for several decades and is a critic of A.A. told the NYT. “The survey, which was conducted in the early 2000s and was designed to be representative of the larger United States population, was aimed at helping researchers understand high-risk drinking patterns, design better-targeted treatment programs and monitor recovery. It found that over half of those who recover managed to cut back instead of abstaining”
Dr. Carrie Wilkens is the founder of the New York-based Center for Motivation and Change.
“’When you focus on building up the world around you, you find stimulation and rewards that are very different from using drugs and alcohol,’” Wilkens says in the article. “’You find other ways of soothing yourself, and things can get better.”
So who knows? Maybe I will try one of these alternatives someday. But for now, A.A. is working for me, and I wouldn’t trade that for a mansion on Maui.
What do you think of these alternative ways to get sober? Leave a comment below.
My recommendation to everyone is not to try it. You are taking too much of a chance without enough scientific proof. If you try this qproach, you may be doing wishful thinking. Have a sober Happy New Year everyone. Go to an AA party, or house party where you can BYOB. Nonalcoholic of course.
I subscribe to NA and have used Naloxone+behavioral therapy. I choose NA because i prefer it for my life. I didn’t like taking a drug strictly for my drug problem. It slowed me down with side effects. Abstinence and step work are my preferred method. Thanks for letting me share.