Behavior Therapy Associates, LLP

Self-Help Resources

Moderation Goal

If you're trying to achieve and/or maintain moderate drinking, consider these options.

  • New. ModerateDrinking.com is a new, evidence-based, web application for heavy drinkers. It is comprehensive, interactive, and personalized and it helps heavy drinkers be successful in changing their drinking. The elements of the program are listed below.

    This is a subscription-based training program. All net profits will be donated to Moderation Management. Users can unsubscribe at any time.

    Dr. Reid Hester, Director of the Research Division of Behavior Therapy Associates (www.behaviortherapy.com) developed ModerateDrinking with funding from NIAAA. As part of this grant he conducted a randomized clinical trial of the effectiveness of the program (in combination with participation in Moderation Management). The study demonstrated that the program is effective in helping heavy drinkers change their drinking. An abstract of one of the papers reporting the results are available here.

    Here's a video demo of the program is

    The elements of the program include:
    • Building motivation and self-confidence
    • Set drink goals/limits
    • "Doing a 30"
    • Self-monitoring drinking (with personalized feedback relative to your goals)
    • Rate control
    • Personal drinking rules
    • Self-monitoring urges to drink (w/ personalized feedback)
    • Identifying and managing triggers
    • Developing alternatives
    • Problem solving
    • Dealing with lapses and/or relapses
    • Considering abstinence
    • Self-monitoring one's own mood (w/feedback relative to baseline)

  • Responsible Drinking: A Moderation Management Approach for Problem Drinkers This is the handbook of Moderation Management and recommended reading for its members. A practical, easy to read self-help book for people working to change their drinking, whether the goal is to moderate or abstain.

  • Controlling Your Drinking: Tools to Make Moderation Work for You This program in this self-help book has been evaluated in numerous controlled scientific studies and found to be effective.

If moderation is your goal and you're looking for a self-help group, consider the following.

  • Moderation Management.  Moderation Management is the only self-help group focused on helping people achieve and maintain moderate drinking without alcohol-related problems.  Click here for an excerpt from their Introduction.

Abstinence Goal

If you're trying to achieve and/or maintain abstinence and are looking for some resources, consider

If abstinence is your goal and you're looking for a self-help group, consider the following.

SMART Recovery Introduction excerpt.

SMART Recovery® is an abstinence-based, not- for-profit organization with a sensible self-help program for people having problems with drinking and using. It includes many ideas and techniques to help you change your life from one that is self- destructive and unhappy to one that is constructive and satisfying. SMART® is not a spin-off from Alcoholics Anonymous. No one will label you an "alcoholic" or an addict. You are neither diseased nor powerless, and if you do not believe in a religion or spirituality, that's fine, too. We teach common sense self-help procedures designed to empower you to abstain and to develop a more positive lifestyle. When you succeed at following our approach, you may graduate from the program, or you may stay around to help others.

AA ExcerptOnly you can decide whether you want to give A.A. a try — whether you think it can help you. We who are in A.A. came because we finally gave up trying to control our drinking. We still hated to admit that we could never drink safely. Then we heard from other A.A. members that we were sick. (We thought so for years!) We found out that many people suffered from the same feelings of guilt and loneliness and hopelessness that we did. We found out that we had these feelings because we had the disease of alcoholism.

Moderation Management ExcerptModeration Management (MM) is a behavioral change program and national support group network for people who have made the healthy decision to reduce their drinking and make other positive lifestyle changes. MM empowers individuals to accept personal responsibility for choosing and maintaining their own path, whether moderation or abstinence. MM promotes early self-recognition of risky drinking behavior, when moderation is an achievable goal. Individuals who are not able to successfully reduce their drinking either find a local abstinence-only program to attend, or remain in MM and choose abstinence as their goal.

Last updated December 14, 2009.