Quitting drinking is hard.

Many of us who struggle with drinking may be unsure about whether we want to give up alcohol completely. We may ask ourselves: Am I ready? Am I able?

Most addiction treatment programs require clients to be completely abstinent from alcohol and drugs to participate. Unfortunately, this deters many people from getting help and staying engaged in treatment.

While complete abstinence may be an appropriate goal for some, others – especially those in early recovery - may be a better fit for evidenced-based approaches that are more manageable and achievable. This blog post will introduce one alternative approach: harm reduction.

Harm Reduction focuses on decreasing – rather than eliminating - drinking and negative consequences associated with it.

Here are some examples of common harm reduction strategies:

• If you are currently drinking five drinks per day, you could reduce it to four
• If you are currently drinking every day, you could take one day off per week
• If you are currently drinking on an empty stomach, thereby feeling the effects of alcohol quickly, you could make sure to eat before you start drinking and drink plenty of water in between drinks
• If you are currently drinking hard alcohol, you could switch to something with a lower alcohol content
• If you currently begin drinking in the afternoon, you could wait until the evening to start

Many clients have success with these strategies, which can help them build confidence to make additional positive changes.

At Front Door Health, we understand that everyone has unique needs and goals. We recognize that complete abstinence is not the best path for everyone and that you don’t necessarily have to quit drinking entirely to achieve positive outcomes. Cutting down on drinking and minimizing the negative impact it has on your life and those around you is a big step toward making positive and sustainable changes.

Call us to get started today: 773-747-5500.