Trouble with the ambiguous verb 控える


I don't know how to differentiate between these 2 meanings of 控える:

>   5. 〔止める，見合わせる〕 勝手な発言は **控えて** ください  
>  Please refrain from speaking without permission.
>
>   6. 〔少なめにする〕塩分を **控え** なさい  
>  Cut down on your intake of salt.
>
>

In this sentence:

> 少なくともそれまではお酒とたばこは **控えて** もらえますか？

How do we know if it's limiting or stopping completely?




控える basically means cutting down on or refraining from, but to a reasonable
extent rather than stopping completely. In the case of 塩分, it's impossible to
completely remove salt from your food in the first place. In the case of
少なくともそれまではお酒とたばこは控える, most people would probably try to stop using/abstain
from them completely, but some people may just cut back. If a physician
seriously wants a patient to stop smoking completely, they would unambiguously
say 禁煙してください or タバコは止めてください.

