Traditional alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment programs most often prescribe abstinence as clients' ultimate goal. “Harm reduction” strategies, on the other hand, set more flexible goals in line with patient motivation; these differ greatly from person to person, and range from total abstinence to reduced consumption and reduced alcohol-related problems without changes in actual use (e.g., no longer driving drunk after having received a DUI). In the broadest sense, harm reduction seeks to reduce problems related to drinking behaviors and supports any step in the right direction without requiring abstinence (Marlatt and Witkiewitz 2010). Witkiewitz (2013) has suggested that abstinence may be less important than psychiatric, family, social, economic, and health outcomes, and that non-consumption measures like psychosocial functioning and quality of life should be goals for AUD research (Witkiewitz 2013). These goals are highly consistent with the growing conceptualization of `recovery' as a guiding vision of AUD services (The Betty Ford Institute Consensus Panel 2007). Witkiewitz also argued that the commonly held belief that abstinence is the only solution may deter some individuals from seeking help.
