Moderation versus abstinence

One hotly contested topic is whether people should aim to give up drink and drugs completely or aim to use less. There is no easy answer to this question, other than to say you must find the goal that works best for you. Traditionally, there has been a belief that continuing any drink or drug use inevitably leads to relapse. However, we know that this is not true of everyone. Some people can successfully use less or take a break completely and then return to controlled drink or drug use.

Having said this, there are certain groups of people who should be encouraged to abstain completely. If you are pregnant, have poor mental or physical health, or you have tried and failed numerous times in the past to control your use, then the best advice is to stop drinking and using drugs altogether. If this seems unachievable, however, you can still be helped to use less, or to drink and use drugs in a less harmful way.