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Program Reviews

ModerateDrinking.com and Moderation Management

Overview

ModerateDrinking.com and Moderation Management are online programs, often used together, that help people who are heavy drinkers, but who do not have alcohol dependence, reduce their use of alcohol and resulting alcohol-related problems.

ModerateDrinking.com (MD) is a web-based behavioral self-control training program comprised of 4 basic elements: setting goals, self-monitoring, controlling drinking, and tracking progress over time. Moderation Management (MM) is an online support network that includes peer support, self-help tools, and recommended guidelines for non-problematic drinking.

Link to commercial site here.

Delivery:
Web-based

Theoretical Approaches:
Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)
Cognitive Behavioral Skills Training

Target Substance(s):
Alcohol

Target Outcomes:
Quantity
Frequency
Peak blood alcohol concentration
Alcohol use-related problems

Ages:
Young Adults (18-30)
Adults (30+)

Genders:
Male
Female

Races/Ethnicities:
White
Hispanic
Other

Setting:
Remote Access

Geographic Locations:
Urban
Suburban

Country:
USA

Language:
English

Evaluations

  • A web application for moderation training: Initial results of a randomized clinical trial.

    Hester RK, Delaney HD, Campbell W, Handmaker N. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 2009. 37: 266-276. PMCID: PMC2739257.

    Summary: This article reports on 3-month outcomes of a randomized controlled trial of problem drinkers who were not alcohol-dependent, recruited through newspaper ads. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to either (a) the Moderate Drinking intervention plus Moderation Management online support (MD-MM; n=38), or (b) Moderation Management online support only (MM only; n=40). Assessments were conducted at baseline and at 3-month follow-up.

    At follow-up, people in both groups showed significantly lower alcohol use on (all measures) and fewer alcohol-related problems. Groups differed on two variables: people who received MD-MM had significantly higher percentage of days abstinent and fewer drinks per drinking day than those who received MM only.

    Take Away: Both MM only, and MD-MM were effective at helping people decrease their drinking and alcohol-related problems. The combined MD-MM treatment may be slightly better depending on the target outcome.

    Follow-Up of Previous Study:

    ModerateDrinking.com and Moderation Management: Outcomes of a randomized clinical trial with non-dependent problem drinkers.

    Hester RK, Delaney HD, Campbell W. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2011. 79:215-224. PMCID: PMC3066281.

    Summary: This article reports on the full 12-month outcomes of the randomized controlled trial described in the previous paper (Hester et al, 2009).

    At 12-month follow-up, both groups continued to show significantly lower alcohol use and fewer alcohol-related problems than at baseline. The groups differed on two variables: the group receiving MD-MM had higher percentage of days abstinent and fewer alcohol-related problems than the group receiving MM only. There were also interactions between treatment type and baseline heavy drinking status on estimated mean BAC and drinks per day. Specifically, those who were not binge drinkers and who received MD-MM showed significantly lower BAC and drinks per day than binge drinkers and those receiving MM only.

    Take Away: Both MM only and MD-MM were effective at helping people decrease their drinking and alcohol-related problems. The combined MD-MM treatment may be slightly better depending on the target outcome and type of drinker.