These recommendations are in line with those made by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse [Raistrick et al, 2006] and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) [SIGN, 2003], and are largely based on expert and consensus opinion. Treatment goals are beyond the scope of current guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) concerning alcohol misuse [NICE, 2010a; NICE, 2010c]. However, this issue will be addressed in the forthcoming NICE clinical guideline Alcohol-use disorders: diagnosis and clinical management of harmful drinking and alcohol dependence, due to be published in January 2011 [NICE, 2010e].

• Treatment goals (whether to aim for lifelong abstinence or responsible drinking at non-harmful levels) are contentious, but increasingly in the UK, drinking in moderation is seen as an acceptable target for some alcohol-dependent people.
• The person's acceptance of the goal is an important indicator of how likely it is to be achieved.
• It is preferable for the person who is severely dependent on alcohol to abstain completely. However, if the individual refuses to commit to this, it is better to aim for moderation than nothing at all, even with the risks associated with this approach.
• If the person has a mild dependence on alcohol, they may be deterred by lifelong abstinence. For these individuals, research has shown outcomes are at least as good with moderation as a goal as abstinence.