It’s no secret that we’re big fans of
medication proven to help people drink less or quit.
Only 2% of people with alcohol use disorder are prescribed any medication to help them drink less or quit. So, we’re proud that Oar Health has helped more than 45,000 people get access to safe, effective, FDA-approved medication and that 76% of them drink less within their first two weeks.
We’ve learned along the way that many of our members
combine medication with strategies and supports that fit them to achieve their goals.
Here are some of the the combinations with medication our members tell us are most helpful:
Clear goals: for some, the goal is sobriety. For about two thirds of Oar members, the goal is moderation, and many find defining moderation to be important. Is it a limited number of drinks per day? Per week? Or a bright line like no more blackouts?
Tracking: faithfully tracking how much you’re actually drinking can help you assess progress objectively and produce insights into when meeting your goals is easier and harder, so you can do more of what’s working.
Sunnyside provides a great tracking app at an affordable price. Excel and paper-and-pencil work too!
Common sense strategies: no more hard liquor? No more shots? No more drinking on an empty stomach? Don’t overlook the simple ways to set yourself up for success. Planning can be especially helpful when entering a high-risk environment, like
a gathering where drinking will be the main event.
Coaching: working with a health coach can provide education, encouragement, and accountability. There are even coaches who specialize in maximizing success with naltrexone.
Read more about how working with a coach helped one Oar member achieve his goals.
Mutual peer support: Alcoholics Anonymous,
Moderation Management, and
SMART Recovery host meetings every day that allow people in recovery to connect with each other. Meetings are free and available in-person and online. Oar Health hosts a
SMART Recovery meeting every week that is facilitated by a licensed mental health counselor and available to Oar Health members and non-members alike.
Professional behavioral healthcare: working with a therapist can help identify maladaptive patterns that lead to too much drinking as well as provide help with commonly co-occurring mental health challenges, like depression and anxiety.
New activities: saying “no” or “less” to alcohol is a great time to say “yes” or “more” to the activities that truly enrich life. Getting outdoors, connecting with loved ones, joining a group, and getting more involved at church are great examples.
Recommitting to fitness can be a powerful approach to maintaining a better relationship with alcohol.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to taking back control over alcohol.
So, at Oar Health, we don’t require you to sign up for an all-encompassing program in order to get access to medication that can help. Rather, we encourage you to assemble the recovery toolkit that works for you.
What strategies and supports have you found most helpful in changing your relationship with alcohol?
