- Use of tobacco, alcohol, and non-prescription medications have shown to increase the risk of chronic diseases and death. 15, 16
- Treatments often take time, different approaches and many attempts.17 Patience and support are an important part of breaking risky substance habits.
- ACLM supports the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s position on utilizing known effective treatment models:15
- Mental health treatment to help resolve underlying triggers, which may include counseling (individual or support groups)
- Medication-assisted therapies
- Use of other lifestyle medicine pillars (decreasing stress through exercise, healthy eating, improved sleep, decreasing stress through meditation and mindfulness, and improving relationships)
- Combination of treatments with multiple modalities including support with medication
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ACLM recognizes the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommendation that adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink, or to drink in moderation by limiting intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men or 1 drink or less in a day for women, on days when alcohol is consumed.18 ACLM also recognizes AICR’s conclusions that for cancer prevention it’s best not to drink alcohol,19 and research showing that the level of alcohol consumption that minimized harm across health outcomes was zero.20
15. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Addiction and Health. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Nida.nih.gov. March 12, 2022 Accessed September 12, 2022. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/addiction-health
16. National Institute on Drug Abuse. National Insititute on Drug Abuse Website National Institute on Drug Abuse. Nida.nih.gov. March 22, 2022. Accessed September 22, 2022.
17. American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Avoidance of Risky Substances Pillar. American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Lifestylemedicine.org. 2021. Accessed September 12, 2022.
18. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. Published 2020. Accessed September 13, 2022. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/
19. American Institute of Cancer Research. Recommendation Limit Alcohol Consumption. American Institute of Cancer Research. Aicr.org. Accessed September 12, 2022. https://www.aicr.org/cancer-prevention/recommendations/limit-alcohol-consumption/
20. Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet. 2018;392(10152):1015-1035. http://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(18)31310-2