Rating: 
Summary: Denial of Alcoholism
Review: Ms. Kishline's perspective is much the same as many problem drinkers/alcoholics. Most do not WANT to be alcoholic, and groups like Moderation Management give them the reason to drink they are looking for. Drinking alcoholically is a grave danger in society. Kishline found AA to be disagreeable, because in the state of denial, alcoholics do not want to stop drinking, and most cannot--without a spiritual power of guidance. Unfortunately for her, and for the family whose father and daughter were killed as a result of her drunken driving, her life is now unmanageable. This book does NOT propose abstinance for the chronically sick alcoholic--now we have seen the results in the author's life. The words "moderation" and "management" can hardly be associated in the same sentence with the word "alcoholism." Alcoholic people cannot "manage" their drinking or responsibly "moderate" the amount of alcohol they consume.
Rating:
Summary: Moderation is trouble for alcoholics
Review: Readers should know that this author wasn't herself successful at moderation. She killed a parent and child while driving drunk and is now in prison. If someone has a problem with alcohol, but isn't alcoholic, they will have no problem changing their drinking habits on their own. People who can't do this on their own are alcoholic, and they can't drink moderately. The greatest success for the greatest number of people is still AA. AA is something the author wanted to avoid but, unfortunately, her "better idea" led her to tragedy and prison.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent suggestions for problem drinkers!
Review: The book contains excellent advice for people with mild drinking problems, encouraging them to become more aware of their patterns and their responses to alcohol, instead of just indulging without a thought. I especially like the fact that the author encourages people to stay completely abstinent for a time (though personally I think it should be longer than the recommended 30 days) and then, before they institute the conscious moderation plan, to make a commitment to pursue a total abstinence program if they find the moderation guidelines to be impossible or too difficult to follow.In fact, Ms. Kishline followed the guidelines in this book when, after 7 years of successfully moderating, she came into a serious problem-drinking phase of her life, and true to MM, she publically announced that she was having difficulty and had decided to pursue abstinence. Too bad the program she chose to, in her words, "enhance her sobriety", was AA. Obviously AA did not inspire her to make an absinence commitment, and as she later said, even though she had been an AA member for months, she didn't feel she could tell anyone about her nightly binge drinking.It's a disgrace that AA members would use this tragedy to proclaim "proof" that MM doesn't work, that this book is "dangerous", or that MM caused the fatal accident. She wasn't even a member of MM at the time, she was an AA'er! My only complaint about this book, in fact, is that it does not mention the many abstinence-based programs and therapies OTHER THAN AA available for people who decide that indeed abstinence is the better goal for them.
Rating:
Summary: Probably not for everyone but works for me
Review: You don't buy a book like this unless you have had some problems with alcohol. I found the author's approach quite helpful, but I suspect if you have SEVERE drinking problems...numerous DWIs, job failures, and the like...this book is probably not for you; go with AA.The book proposes that there is an in-between solution besides total abstinence for people who drink too much. An alternative approach to the "total surrender" ethic of AA is offered. The entire regimen is described by the phrase "Moderation Management" which pretty well says it all. By the way, there is a MM group online where the principles outlined in the book are hashed out.
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