Recent data suggest that most people experiencing alcohol problems have problems of mild
to moderate severity. Relative to alcoholics, these drinkers have a shorter problem-drinking
history, greater social and economic stability, and greater personal resources. This article
describes a cognitive-behavioral treatment approach designed specifically for problem
drinkers with low levels of physical dependence on alcohol who choose to reduce their
drinking. After describing various drinking-reduction techniques, the article reviews
empirical evidence for drinking-reduction training. The increasing availability of drinkingreduction
interventions holds considerable promise for reducing alcohol-related dysfunction
among problem drinkers. KEY WORDS: problematic AOD (alcohol and other drug) use; disease
severity; cognitive therapy; behavior therapy; biological AOD dependence; controlled AOD
use; AODU (alcohol and other drug use) treatment method; AOD abstinence; amount of AOD
use; AOD use frequency; treatment outcome; predictive factor; gender differences; motivation;
literature review
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