Help for Alcohol Abuse

If your health care provider determines that you are not alcohol dependent but are nonetheless involved in a pattern of alcohol abuse, he or she can help you to:

• Examine the benefits of stopping an unhealthy drinking pattern.

• Set a drinking goal for yourself. Some people choose to abstain from alcohol. Others prefer to limit the amount they drink.

• Examine the situations that trigger your unhealthy drinking patterns, and develop new ways of handling those situations so that you can maintain your drinking goal.

Some individuals who have stopped drinking after experiencing alcohol-related problems choose to attend AA meetings for information and support, even though they have not been diagnosed as alcoholic.