About Alastair Cassie · Founder of ARC
Built in the wine trade, backed by science
I spent over 30 years in the wine trade, surrounded by alcohol through travel, tastings and dinners where drinking was part of the job. My own relationship with moderation was always a bit of a roller coaster, and with no real solutions available, I built my own system, effective both in and out of my professional environment.
Since 2023, I have formalised that system, gained coaching qualifications, published extensive research articles and founded the Alcohol Moderation Coaches Association™ to establish industry standards.
I have no agenda to stop you drinking. My clients usually want to cut back, regain control and keep the parts of alcohol culture they still value, rather than stop because they don’t like what drinking has become. The BAC System™ is how we make that happen.
Why I built this
When I wanted to cut back, there was nothing available that was purely moderation-focused
I wanted to continue to enjoy my lifestyle, not be judged or coerced into a sobriety programme. What existed was either abstinence-focused or superficial: a collection of hacks, challenges and quick fixes that assumed anyone drinking above guidelines must want to quit entirely.
This is not that. It is the result of 30 years of experience in the wine trade, extensive research, and fine-tuning in a coaching practice.
My goals when establishing Alcohol Reduction Coach™ were straightforward. Design a system for those who want to cut back, not out. That became the BAC System™. Build something that lives and adapts around real life rather than demanding perfect execution in a controlled environment. And make the science accessible to people who have been told the only credible option is to stop altogether.
Drinking less but better is not just an aspiration. It is a way of life. When you drink intentionally, you are choosing what is in your glass and why, rather than letting autopilot take over. That moment of conscious choice is what Choice O’Clock™ is built around.
The journey
How Alcohol Reduction Coach™ came to exist
For those seeking a health guru story, this is not it. It is more a melting pot of sound advice, ADHD-fuelled hyperfocus and pragmatism.
Fixed my own drinking
High time for my own habits to get under control before they became a real problem. Fortunately, I had spent years surrounded by people who had long mastered moderation in a demanding professional environment. I had a lot of support and a lot of data to work with.
Started helping others
Seeing my own transformation, friends and colleagues started asking for strategies. The system worked for them too. They encouraged me to formalise it so it could help more people beyond my immediate network.
Became a certified coach
Completed coaching and specialist training across alcohol moderation, behavioural science and ADHD. The certifications confirmed what the practice had already shown: that moderation failure is almost always a mechanism mismatch, not a character flaw.
Perfected the BAC System™
Early clients provided real-world data and feedback that, combined with ongoing research, allowed the system to be refined into what it is today: a diagnostic-first, pattern-matched, continuously recalibrating framework for lasting moderation. Read more about how the BAC System™ works.
Launched Alcohol Reduction Coach™
Originally launched as Alcohol Reset Coach, the name was updated to Alcohol Reduction Coach™ for clarity. The platform now includes coaching programmes, the BAC System™, the Alcohol Footprint Calculator™, published research, podcasts and the Choice O’Clock™ behaviour change tool.
Google Scholar indexed
Research articles published through the platform were indexed by Google Scholar, giving ARC visibility in an academic search environment usually dominated by peer-reviewed sources. This was not a deliberate campaign. It was the result of writing at the standard the evidence required. Browse the research and articles library.
Founded the Alcohol Moderation Coaches Association™
The logical next step after recognising that the moderation coaching space had no agreed standards, no ethics framework, and no industry voice. See below.
Alcohol Moderation Coaches Association™
Why the industry needed a voice, and who was not providing one
When I began looking at the wider coaching landscape to benchmark my own standards, I found that the vast majority of people calling themselves alcohol coaches were sober coaches. Not moderation coaches. Not people helping grey area drinkers drink less. People helping dependent drinkers stop entirely.
That is a legitimate and important service. But it represents a narrow subset of the people who actually have a difficult relationship with alcohol. It was dominating the media, the search results, and the public conversation about what help looks like.
No agreed minimum standards
Coaching in this space is unregulated. Anyone can present themselves as an alcohol moderation coach without training, relevant experience, or an evidence base. The AMCA™ exists to begin establishing what minimum standards and ethical practice should look like for genuine non-abstinence moderation coaches.
Weak safeguarding in sober influencer content
The majority of sober influencer content carries no safeguarding measures for dependent drinkers. Someone in physiological withdrawal who follows generic sober content and decides to stop abruptly is at real medical risk. That is not being addressed. The AMCA™ treats duty of care as a non-negotiable starting point.
A one-sided public narrative
The sober sector is loud, well-organised and media-friendly. It represents only one outcome within the much wider spectrum of people’s drinking goals. The people it does not represent, functioning adults who drink above guidelines but are not dependent, have no equivalent voice. The AMCA™ is building that voice.
The cost of disengagement
When moderation is not presented as a credible option, grey area drinkers disengage. They do not seek help early because the only option on offer requires a complete identity reconstruction. Problems escalate that would not have escalated with earlier, lighter intervention. That is a public health consequence of a sober-only narrative.
The AMCA™ is not an attack on the abstinence sector. It is a recognition that moderation deserves an equally serious, equally evidence-based, equally organised response. Grey area drinkers deserve access to information and coaching that reflects their actual situation. Am I drinking too much? Find out here.
Visit the Alcohol Moderation Coaches Association™What our clients say
Results from real people
Alcohol Reduction Coach™ provides non-clinical coaching and education only, not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Fully insured on a worldwide basis for professional indemnity and public liability. If you believe you may be physically dependent on alcohol, please speak to your GP before making any changes to your intake. For professionals looking to refer clients, visit our professional referrals page.
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