Can I Keep Drinking?: How You Can Decide When Enough Is Enough

by Cyndi Turner, Jason R. Kilmer (Foreword by), Diane E. Logan (Foreword by)

Overview

"A fresh voice in the emerging field of moderation treatment programs, which claim that abstinence-only approaches . . . clearly do not fit all drinkers." —Gabrielle Glaser, author of Her Best-Kept Secret: Why Women Drink—And How They Can Regain Control
Only about six percent of the population that are alcoholic need to quit drinking completely in their recovery process, yet nearly 90 percent of treatment programs and substance abuse treatment practitioners require total abstinence from alcohol. Cynthia Turner is not one of them. In Can I Keep Drinking? she provides you with easy-to-follow tools, checklists, and quizzes to help you answer the question "Can I keep drinking?" and figure out a way to have a healthier relationship with alcohol.
"The dominant US perspective about drinking problems—that abstinence is the only genuine solution—gets a thorough re-examination in Can I Keep Drinking? If you're looking for a fresh and evidence-based perspective on drinking problems and ways to change them, everything you need to know is here." —A. Thomas Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP, author of Sex, Drugs, Gambling & Chocolate: A Workbook for Overcoming Addictions
"When someone faces the notion that they may have an alcohol problem for the first time, it is almost impossible to know where to begin. Can I Keep Drinking? offers a practical, thorough, easy-to-read roadmap for addressing this issue." —Kevin P. Hill, MD, MHS, author of Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth About the World's Most Popular Weed
"Cyndi Turner explains the foundations of moderate drinking empathetically and intelligently. This book is an excellent addition to the harm reduction canon, one that will certainly help readers navigate a healthier relationship with alcohol." —Kelsey Osgood, author of How to Disappear Completely: On Modern Anorexia

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630479916
Publisher:	Morgan James Publishing
Publication date:	12/31/2020
Sold by:	OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED - EBKS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	201
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Cyndi Turner is a licensed clinical social worker and licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner with more than twenty years of field experience. She cofounded and is the clinical director of Insight Into Action Therapy, a private outpatient therapy practice with two offices in northern Virginia. She co-developed and facilitates the Dual Diagnosis Recovery Program©. Local courts have qualified her as an expert witness, and the National Football League Program for Substances of Abuse has vetted her to provide therapy to their players. Cyndi is willing to challenge the old-school belief that all problem drinkers must be alcoholics who need to quit drinking forever. She is a Moderation Management-friendly therapist and is Get SMART FAST certified. She lives in northern Virginia and loves anything to do with sun, sand, beaches, or boats.

Table of Contents

Foreword xv

Preface xx

Acknowledgments xxii

Introduction: Get Ready for Change xxiii

Chapter 1 Not Everybody Who Drinks Has A Problem 1

Who Is Drinking in the United States? 3

Spectrum of Alcohol Use 3

Chapter 2 Why Are All Alcohol Users Treated The Same? 14

Call for Change to the Treatment System 16

Abstinence Is Not the Only Goal 17

The Importance of Why 18

Why People Avoid Getting Help 19

Moderate Drinking Research 20

Harm Reduction 22

Moderate Drinking 25

Beyond Alcoholics Anonymous 26

Moderate Drinking Defined 28

What is a standard drink? 28

Chapter 3 Self-Assessment 32

Functioning Alcoholic? 33

DSM-5 Diagnosis 34

Cost/Benefit Analysis 39

Moderation Resources 44

Chapter 4 What Does Alcohol Do To Our Bodies? 47

Central Nervous System 48

Chronic, Progressive, Fatal 49

Brain 50

Cardiovascular System 52

Liver and Pancreas 52

Immune System 53

Pregnancy 54

Driving 54

Donuts? 55

Chapter 5 Are You Ready To Make A Change? 58

Stages of Change 59

Precontemplation 59

Contemplation 61

Preparation 62

Action 64

Maintenance 64

Chapter 6 You Want Me to Do What? 69

Why Four Months? 70

Getting SOBER 73

Managing Risky Situations 79

Managing Cravings 81

Chapter 7 Taking and Interpreting the Quiz 87

How Do I Know If I Can Keep Drinking? Quiz 87

Interpreting the Quiz 89

Age of First Drink 89

How Many 91

Medical Issues 92

Consequences 94

Blackouts 95

Why 96

Impact 97

Supports 98

Mental Health 99

Other Drug Use 100

Legal, Probationary, or Work Issues 100

Withdrawals 101

Period of Abstinence 101

Accountability 103

Chapter 8 Moderate Drinking Plan 107

Moderate Drinking Plan 109

Preparing To Drink Again 111

Quick Check For Success Of Moderate Drinking Plan 113

Moderation Tools 117

Tangible Reminders 119

Would You Like a Drink? 120

Chapter 9 How Do I Maintain This? 124

Relapse Reality Quiz 125

Defining Relapse 125

Clarifying Myths About Relapse 126

Preventing Relapse 135

Chapter 10 Paths To Recovery 142

Detox 143

Rehab 143

Interventionist 144

IOP 145

Transitional Living 145

Co-Occur ling or Dual Diagnosis 146

Group Therapy 146

Individual Psychotherapy/Counseling 148

EAF 152

Medication 152

Self-Help Groups 154

Last Call 159

References 161

Resources 166

About The Author 167