[Controlled drinking for alcohol-dependent patients].

Controlled drinking should be included in the treatment of alcohol-dependent patients. Research has showed that treatment plans which allow controlled drinking as a possible outcome yield better results in the long run than those in which abstinence is imposed. Controlled drinking can be a goal in itself, a step towards abstinence or a way of limiting alcohol-related problems. Accepting that the patient set his own treatment goals helps reinforce therapeutic rapport and diminish drop-out. Furthermore, the treatment approach becomes more finely-shaded, as it helps patients not to waver continuously between abstinence and massive drinking.