Rethinking drinking: UNM professor's book examines the science of alcohol use

For nearly 10 years, University of New Mexico psychologist William R. Miller has studied how people cut down their alcohol use. Now, he and longtime collaborator Ricardo F. Muñoz are revisiting that research in their new book, Rethinking Drinking: Making the Right Choice for You, set for release Sept. 1.

Miller is a distinguished professor of psychology and psychiatry at UNM. For decades, his research has focused on the treatment and prevention of addictions and the psychology of change.

Miller and Muñoz first published How to Control Your Drinking in 1976. A second edition, published by UNM Press in 1982, focused on helping people reduce their alcohol consumption.

At the time, the idea that people could learn to drink moderately was controversial. The prevailing belief was that people with alcoholism could not drink moderately, while people who were not considered alcoholics did not have reason to be concerned about their drinking, said Miller.

But decades of research have changed how health professionals and the public think about alcohol.

"Doctors routinely ask about drinking as a health concern and recommend cutting down or quitting if it's above a certain amount," Miller said.

As research has continued to examine alcohol's effects on health, recommended drinking limits have decreased, while more people are questioning whether they want to drink at all. Miller says younger generations are also drinking less than previous generations, while alcohol-free beers, wines, and mocktails have become increasingly common.

That shift is at the heart of Rethinking Drinking. Rather than telling readers they should drink or stop drinking, Miller and Muñoz provide information intended to help people make informed decisions about their own alcohol use.

The book retains strategies for reducing drinking developed through decades of research, while adding current science about the potential benefits and risks of alcohol. It also includes practical tools, self-quizzes, checklists, and strategies for achieving goals without relying on alcohol.

"We have kept all the material on how to reduce drinking, now based on 50 years of science," Miller said. "But now people are also considering whether they want to drink at all, so we have added science-backed information on the pros and cons of alcohol to help readers make their own decisions."

For Miller, the new book represents both a continuation of his work and an acknowledgment of how much the conversation around alcohol has changed since he and Muñoz first began their research. Rethinking Drinking encourages readers to consider their own relationship with alcohol and make choices based on the best available evidence.