sharksandwich - what is your evidence for your contention that: "the majority of people who are having problems with their drinking can return to enjoying a drink, as long as they have a period of abstinence which is long enough for them to learn why they are drinking to excess right now, and to know that there is an alternative."? My experience as a mental health professional is the opposite, i.e. that the majority of people who are having problems with their drinking cannot return to 'enjoying a drink'. Insight into the underlying reasons as to why one drinks to excess is not sufficient to change the behaviour in and of itself, (with or without a period of abstinence to facilitate the insight).