For more than a few years alcohol addiction research has revealed the fact that there is strong correlation between alcoholism and dangerous health conditions and mental health issues such as depression.
For instance, in 2005, scientific exploration and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics demonstrated the fact that that alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction cost the United States an estimated $220 billion on an annual basis. Interestingly, this gigantic alcohol-related cost was substantially more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is relevant to accentuate these facts, it is also important to point to the fact that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health problems.
Stated another way, chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism are also highly interrelated with obesity and with cancer.
Undeniably, substance abuse exploration has revealed that alcoholism can augment the risk for different types of cancer, especially cancer of the colon, voice box (larynx), liver, rectum, throat, kidneys, and the esophagus. Excessive and repetitive drinking can also result in immune system problems and damage to the fetus during pregnancy.
Heavy and Abusive Drinking Enfeebles the Individual’s Organs and Systems
Furthermore, if alcohol dependency continues over a period of years, the individual’s body organs will more likely than not be affected in an unhealthy manner. As an illustration, long-term, excessive drinking is especially hurtful to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been ingested. Extreme amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and eradicates the ability of liver cells to redevelop. This condition leads to a progressive inflammatory disease of the liver that can sooner or later lead to cirrhosis of the liver, a critical and possibly deadly medical problem. Excessive, long-term drinking not only can lead to acute liver damage, but it can also lead to damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this serious may be irreversible and may, in turn, result in severe illness or an early death.
The Critical Nature of Alcohol Rehab
It is vital, then, to know how to identify the various alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol dependent individual can be given the opportunity to get the quality alcohol treatment he or she needs.
Alcohol Dependency and Technologically Advanced Brain Exploration
Fortuitously, medical examination is continuously unearthing innovative and significant information. Recent alcoholism exploration provides a high-quality example. More to the point, for roughly the past ten years, technologically advanced brain-imaging scanning instruments have verified that continuous and recurring hazardous drinking changes the configuration of the brain to a great extent, thusly resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or possibly as long as the person exists.
More to the point, medical investigation has revealed that individuals who have been drinking in an excessive manner for a substantial length of time increase their risk for developing lasting and significant adaptations in the brain.
This type of damage may be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health or directly related to severe liver disease or to the alcohol’s effects on the brain.
Mental Disorders, Malnutrition, and Abusive Drinking
As a final illustration of diverse medical conditions that are substantially associated with alcoholism, consider that according to medical investigation, the hazardous and repeated abuse of alcohol can lead to erosive gastritis, a health problem that limits the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
This kind of organ failure is related to malnutrition and to an assortment of severe neurological and mental disorders including memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter medical condition is an enduring incapacitating medical condition that is typified by repetitive memory and learning complications.
Irresponsible and Hazardous Drinking Also Results in Relationship and Friendship Difficulties and Conflicts and Stress, Time, and Anger Management Problems
In addition to major medical conditions, irresponsible drinking also results in friendship and relationship problems. For instance, people who engage in excessive drinking frequently suffer from sexuality problems, marital problems, divorce, and affairs, and they frequently experience time, anger, and stress management difficulties.
Summary: The Importance of Education
It is evident that continued, abusive drinking is directly or indirectly linked to a variety of acute medical problems that can and do result in serious ailments and premature death. Such information needs to be stressed and presented to everyone in our society, especially to all students, so that a massive amount of individuals will be able to refrain from excessive drinking while other people who have a drinking problem will get the professional treatment they need.
Let us look at this with a common sense perspective. Yes, alcohol rehab is important, but alcohol rehab is something that is typically done AFTER the fact. Education, from a different perspective, is something that is done BEFORE the problem materializes. Stated a different way, whereas alcohol rehabilitation is “reactive,” education is “proactive.” It is affirmed that both approaches are necessary when discussing alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.
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Stanley started drinking abusively when he was a sophomore in high school. From a positive perspective, although he drank excessively and hazardously when he was an adolescent and a young adult, when he got beyond the age of twenty-five he almost always drank in moderation.
After he completed his education he eventually found employment at a local crude oil distillery where he worked his way up from stock person, to office assistant, to purchasing assistant, to purchasing manager. Unlike his other work positions, as the purchasing manager he frequently took potential vendors and existing vendors to lunch and to various sporting events.
Although it was not an official part of his job description, meeting with potential vendors and existing vendors again and again involved circumstances in which alcohol was present. In actual fact, over the past eighteen months, Stanley had started to extensively increase his work related and his social drinking. This has resulted in quite a predicament. That is to say, the more successful he became as a purchasing agent, the more heavily he began to drink.
His Increasing Bouts of Depression Also Made Him Wonder Whether He Was Becoming Alcohol Dependent
In truth, it didn’t take much time at all before Stanley’s excessive drinking started to negatively affect his relationships, his mental health, the money in his savings account, his work efficiency, and his health. After many weeks of excessive drinking, Stanley, in actual fact, began to get concerned about his abusive and irresponsible drinking and questioned whether his alcohol related problems were alcoholism signs. Moreover, his almost constant feelings of depression also made him wonder if he was becoming an alcoholic. In a word, Stanley obviously needed to learn more about the facts about alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
Stanley Needs Alcohol Detoxification and Alcohol Rehab For His Alcohol Dependency and a Medical Evaluation Regarding His Depression
So Stanley used his common sense, called his healthcare practitioner, and set up an appointment for a thorough physical examination. The next week when he saw his healthcare practitioner, Stanley regrettably learned that he was alcohol dependent. His doctor told Stanley that he needed to get alcohol detoxification and alcohol rehab for his alcoholism and that he also needed to get a medical evaluation regarding his depression. In short, Stanley needed treatment for his alcoholism and depression.
The Positive News is That After His Treatment For Alcohol Dependency and For Depression, He Felt Like a Different Person
His doctor suggested to Stanley that he request a 45 day leave of absence from work and get registered into a quality in-patient alcohol rehab program where his depression could also be assessed and treated. This is precisely what Stanley did. Fortunately after his treatment for depression and for alcohol dependency, he felt like a new individual. In fact, now that he was in recovery he hardly ever got depressed and he now knew how to better manage his job, his relationships, his finances, and his health.
Obviously, the biggest “test” Stanley came across was at the office. More precisely, he still took potential vendors and his existing vendors to various sporting events and to lunch, but after his alcohol rehabilitation he was able to stay away from drinking while entertaining his clients.
It can be stressed that Stanley also discovered that none of his potential vendors or his existing vendors thought any less of him because of his non-alcoholic lifestyle. Alternatively, he learned that his potential vendors and existing vendors thought even more highly of him for staying true to his convictions.
After Stanley went through alcohol rehab, however, he discovered that he was an individual who for whatever reason, could not drink in moderation or drink responsibly. In truth he learned the hard way that if he stayed away from drinking, all of the other meaningful parts of his life would be upgraded. Every so often, Stanley missed drinking, but the better relationships, work performance, health, and the better finances he experienced more than compensated for his love of drinking.
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Barry used to boast to his buddies how he could remain employed at a fulltime job and get drunk as a skunk nearly every night. Unfortunately, after involving himself in this destructive lifestyle for about seven years, he started to experience a variety of alcohol related issues.
Barry Starts to Manifest Several Alcohol Related Difficulties
For example, he had a very difficult time getting up for work because he felt so little energy when he awoke. Moreover, most mornings Barry suffered from an appalling hangover. In a word, the mixture of his hangovers and his lack of energy did not make it easy for him to get up and feel like he wanted to go to work. To add fuel to the fire, nearly a week ago he received his second DWI in the past nine months.
To complicate things further, at work his last two work appraisals were less than suitable. And lastly, his six-year marriage with his wife had gone downhill due to his depression, lack of patience, angry outbursts, and his financial difficulties.
Although Barry was only twenty seven years old, he honestly started looking like he was in his late forties. Regrettably, this is what irresponsible and excessive drinking can do to a person. And in all honesty he knew that he was experiencing the adverse effects of alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse and that he was too young to give up his life to careless and irresponsible drinking. So initially he tried to drink responsibly and in moderation. Regrettably, he soon understood that he lost his self control after consuming his first drink. Stated differently, after his first drink he invariably proceeded to get inebriated. Due to the fact that this was a circumstance that was repeated every single time he drank, this greatly troubled him. In truth, he began to wonder if he was exhibiting some of the signs of alcoholism and alcohol abuse.
Barry Makes up His Mind To Schedule an Appointment to See His Physician
After talking about his excessive alcohol consumption and his excessive and hazardous drinking with his wife, he eventually decided to make an appointment to see his healthcare professional. When Barry saw his healthcare professional, he actually confirmed that he has been drinking in a hazardous manner, that he may be manifesting alcoholic signs, and that he wants to abstain from drinking. He said that drinking responsibly and in moderation doesn’t work for him and, as a result, he wants to learn how he can develop an alcohol-free lifestyle.
Barry also told his family doctor about his depression and how this mental health issue was negatively affecting his relationship with his wife. His doctor referred Barry to Doctor Ganley, an alcohol and drug addiction psychiatrist, who inspired Barry to enter into a drug and alcohol treatment clinic as an in-patient for alcohol detoxification and alcohol rehabilitation. Fortunately, Barry would also be able to get medical attention for his depression at this treatment clinic.
Getting and Staying Sober Was the Best Decision Barry Had Ever Made
After five months of comprehensive rehab, Barry left the in-patient rehab center and continued his recovery via outpatient counseling and via going to local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Inspired to change his life in a more productive manner, Barry went to a health store and bought some vitamins and a cookbook. He then joined a fitness center and started working out three or four times per week. Within five months Barry was a new man. He wasn’t depressed anymore, he was in shape, he was eating nutritious meals, he now looked younger than he was, and most significant of all, he maintained his sobriety for many months. He also didn’t resort to angry outbursts, he became more patient, and he became a more compassionate person in his relationship with his wife. Stated simply, getting and staying sober was the best decision Barry had ever made.
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December 31, 2009
A Young Lady Hits a Low Point in Her Life, Prevails Over Her Depression, Gets Alcohol Therapy for Her Abusive and Hazardous Drinking, and Increases Her Self Image
Brooke was a thirty-two-year-old loan officer who was sick of feeling depressed everyday and tired of her unhealthy and abusive drinking behavior. Stated briefly, she hated the hangovers she experienced on a regular basis, she was tired of going through broken relationship after broken relationship due to her careless drinking, she was irate with herself for spending her hard-earned money on a worthless habit, she missed her old motivation for doing the things she enjoyed, and she was sick of feeling lethargic every morning.
In addition she was disgusted with how out-of-shape she was, she was bored with her drinking pals, she was annoyed with the many times she failed to pass an alcohol test at her workplace, she detested the fact that she had to go to court for her third DUI, and she was fed up with paying for alcohol-related attorney fees.
In addition to the identifiable alcohol-related health problems she was going through, conceivably the nastiest part of her drinking regimen was the undependable and deceitful person she had become. In her heart of hearts she realized that she had been less than honest about her drinking behavior to her relatives, friends, and family and she also knew she had been lying to herself about the “beneficial” outcomes of drinking. Not only this but she made excuses for guzzling four or five drinks before going to social events and she also made excuses for needing two or three drinks the first thing in the morning so that she could deal with the “pressures” at her place of employment.
Her Depression and Her Hazardous and Excessive Drinking Result in Major Changes in Her Life
It was clear that that Brooke was sick of putting up with the negative outcomes of her depression and her careless and excessive drinking and finally determined that something major had to change in her life. So she decided that she would quit drinking, start exercising, start focusing on becoming a more healthy person, get professional counseling, develop a new circle of friends, and involve herself in some worthwhile hobbies.
Stated briefly, Brooke got to the point in her life during which she comprehended that she hit a low point in life and was now prepared to commence the gradual road that leads to recovery.
One of the ways that Brooke put her “plan” info operation was by requesting a transfer at work. When her request was approved, she moved 150 miles away to a new state. If nothing else, this positively made making new pals and detaching herself from her old pals easier. Then she phoned a doctor in her new city and made an appointment for a complete psychological and physical examination.
Brooke Meets With a Doctor About Her Heavy and Excessive Drinking and Her Depression
After meeting with the physician and taking a number of laboratory tests, it was determined that Brooke had crossed the line from alcohol abuse to alcohol addiction and as a result was in need of alcohol therapy and alcohol detoxification. At this time, the healthcare practitioner made it a point to discuss the diverse signs of alcoholism, the symptoms of alcoholism, and information about long term alcohol effects with Brooke.
The doctor then told Brooke that it was determined that she was clinically depressed and in need of treatment for this medical problem.
Brooke Decides to Revitalize Her Body by Drinking Distilled Water, Living an Alcohol-Free Way of Life, Going to the Gym, Eating Wholesome Foods, and Taking Vitamins
Due to her eagerness to follow through with the rehabilitation therapy, after three weeks of inpatient rehab, Brooke was ready to begin treatment on an outpatient basis. At this point, she began working at her new job and over the weeks began building up her body by drinking filtered water, taking vitamins, eating healthy foods, living an alcohol-free lifestyle, and working out.
Brooke also addressed her spiritual side of life by joining the local Unitarian church and participating in regular services.
After approximately four months of outpatient treatment during which time she never went through a relapse, Brooke stopped going to alcohol rehabilitation and instead started going four times per week to local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Going to these meetings helped Brooke follow through with her alcohol-free way of life, they provided her with the support she wanted, and they served as a unceasing reminder of the damaging outcomes that are related to hazardous drinking.
After going to AA meetings about five-and-a-half months Brooke felt that she was ready for a relationship and so she started going out with Camron, a young man she met at church. It simply amazed Brooke how much more ready she was for a dating relationship now that she had her abusive and excessive drinking under control. In fact it also surprised Brooke how much better life was now that she wasn’t under the control of her abusive drinking. Life was now positive and loaded with possibilities that she could have never hoped for or accomplished when she was involved in unhealthy and excessive drinking less than a year ago.
A Success Story That is a Demonstration of the Importance of Alcohol Treatment and the Power of Positive Change
Brooke’s success story is a testimony of the importance of alcohol treatment and the power of positive change. As Brooke thought about her newfound self-respect and drive for involving herself in healthy, worthwhile activities, she was actually thankful that she decided to do something constructive about her hazardous and abusive drinking rather than giving into her depression and into the lure of her addiction. The result: she is involved in a loving relationship, her life now has a positive direction, she is in command of her life rather than letting herself languish under the control of her alcoholism, she likes her new job responsibilities, and she has more energy now compared with any time in her adult life.
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November 13, 2009
When Drinking Becomes a Problem That Requires Attention
How do you identify the fact that you have a drinking problem? When is it clear that you are involving yourself in hazardous drinking?
If you have unsuccessfully attempted to quit drinking or if you have given your word to yourself that your drinking days are gone and then you were made aware that you were drinking in an abusive manner just a few days later, the odds are exceedingly good that you have drinking problems. The fundamental idea is that if you have made an effort to quit drinking and cannot get this accomplished, then your drinking is controlling you, rather than the other way around.
Likewise, if it takes greater amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” more likely than not you need to become aware that you have a problem with your drinking.
You may be telling yourself that the justification for your drinking is so that you can reduce your nervousness or get rid of the sorrow or depression that you feel. Similarly, you may be trying to stay away from a harmful circumstance and may be looking for something more useful, more favorable, or less sorrowful.
As you maintain your drinking, on the other hand, you will realize that drinking does not elicit the same high and you will also understand that drinking doesn’t help eradicate whatever led to your discomfort in the first place. You may also become aware that the more frequently you drink, the more depressed you feel.
As you continue to drink in a hazardous way, regrettably, you may become an alcoholic and, as a result, you may add another essential difficulty to manage rather than finding out about more successful and healthy ways of dealing with your alcohol-related predicament.
When an Alcohol Assessment is Necessary
If you have decided that you have a problem with your drinking, perhaps the most expedient thing you can do for yourself is to call your physician or healthcare professional and schedule an appointment for a physical and for an assessment of your drinking activities.
If you actually believe that you have a critical drinking problem, it might be a good idea to get prepared to find out that you need to get alcohol rehab.
At this juncture, what are your choices? You can surely refuse to see your general practitioner and continue your pattern of out-of-control drinking.
It certainly doesn’t take a genius, conversely, to understand that repeated, hazardous drinking, if left untreated, will get worse over time and quite possibly lead to an early death. Thus, your best alternative is to address your drinking circumstance and obtain the alcohol treatment you require.
The Facade of the Functioning Alcoholic
It is somewhat odd to note the fact that several alcoholics lead busy and active lives and have families, jobs, houses, vehicles, pets, and any number of material possessions similar to non-alcoholics.
Many of these “functional” alcohol addicted people may have never been apprehended for a DUI and may have been fortunate enough to avoid all alcohol-related legal predicaments. Despite this fortunate circumstance, nevertheless, these alcohol dependent people need to drink in order to deal with life on a daily basis while continuing their facade as they associate with the outside world.
Ask anyone who has seen them when they are engaging in one of their drinking binges or in a drunken stupor or ask a family member about the problem drinker’s alcohol addiction, conversely, and they will be quick to articulate the truth of the drinker’s situation and the particulars about the alcoholic’s drinking circumstances and about his or her alcohol-related issues.
Why Do Alcohol Addicted People Fail to See Their Drinking Problems?
As alcoholism research and statistics on alcohol abuse have underlined, no matter how observable the alcohol-related predicaments seem to those who interact with the alcohol dependent person, alcohol dependent people normally deny that drinking is the cause of their alcohol-related difficulties. Not only this, but alcohol addicted people regularly blame their alcohol induced predicaments on other individuals or upon other circumstances around them instead of seeing their part in the issue.
The source of the issue is that alcoholism is a disease of the brain. Once the person has become an alcoholic, he or she often resorts to denial, manipulation, and lying as a way of dealing with the fact that his or her drinking is out of control. And to make matters more complex, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms commonly counteracts the alcohol addicted person’s rare attempts to abruptly stop drinking. As cheerless as the alcohol addicted individual’s existence is, then again, the good news is that professional assistance is extensively obtainable – if the alcoholic reaches out and gets alcoholism therapy.
Conclusion
Coming to grips with the fact that drinking is producing difficulties in your day to day functioning is conceivably the simplest way to determine if you have a problem with your drinking. Stated another way, if your drinking is leading to difficulties with your health, at work, in your relationships, with your finances, at school, or with the legal system, then you have a drinking problem that needs to be addressed.
If you have a drinking problem, furthermore, this means that you are involving yourself in irresponsible drinking.
While some drinkers may be able to detect their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their problems, and substantially reduce the amount and rate of their drinking, other drinkers, conversely, need to address their drinking difficulties by getting professional alcoholism rehab. What’s more, due to their penchant to deny the facts and warp the truth, alcohol dependent individuals undeniably require quality alcoholism counseling for their abusive drinking.
And finally, if you feel more depressed the more you drink, it is likely that you will need to get therapy for your problem drinking and for your depression.
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November 8, 2009
The Important Issues in An Effective Alcohol Intervention
What are the necessary factors in a productive alcohol intervention? Why do some alcohol dependency interventions turn out well while others bomb?
The Requirement for a Well-Known Track Record of Intervention Success
Scientific investigation displays that a “winning” alcohol intervention needs to be managed by an intervention specialist who has a renowned track record of intervention accomplishment.
In effect this means that instead of opting for a “normal” alcoholism healthcare practitioner or psychotherapist for an addiction intervention, the individual who is chosen to direct the intervention needs to be educated in alcohol dependency intervention methods and needs to possess a track record of “winning” addiction interventions.
A Few Plain Examples of The Most Optimal Time For an Alcohol Addiction Intervention
Scientific exploration and alcoholism facts about interventions has also demonstrated that the most advantageous time for an alcoholism intervention is following an important event in the life of the alcohol addicted person or alcohol abuser. The following represents a few illustrations of these types of noteworthy incidents:
- The alcohol addicted person or abusive drinker has been caught stealing something of significance.
- The alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted person has been caught lying about something of importance.
- The alcohol-dependent person or alcohol abuser has been locked up for a DUI or DWI.
In circumstances such as these, the alcohol addicted individual or alcohol abuser is more likely to be regretful or to be embarrassed, thusly making him or her more interested in getting the professional alcohol treatment that is required.
At this point in time, moreover, it is also important to underscore the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted person needs to be free of alcohol during the alcohol dependency intervention. To put it briefly, if the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual is “under the influence” during an alcoholism intervention, the lack of success is in effect certain.
Furthermore, scientific research has also made evident the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcohol-dependent person has to at least try to listen to what is stated in an alcoholism intervention. Stated differently, during an alcohol abuse intervention, the abusive drinker or alcoholic needs to listen to what his or her drinking behavior has done to those who care for him or her the most.
The Impact of Alcohol Rehabilitation For the Problem Drinker
And lastly, scientific study makes obvious the fact that the essential reason for an alcohol dependency intervention in the first place is to convince the hazardous drinker or alcohol dependent individual to get the professional alcohol therapy that is necessary. Stated more exactly, even if the person who directs the intervention has a magnificent track record of productive interventions and even if the abusive drinker or alcoholic honestly listens to every single word that is said during the course of an intervention, if the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual is not stimulated to request quality alcohol counseling after the alcohol dependency intervention, then the intervention will be a debacle.
Obviously all of these factors are needed for an effective alcohol abuse intervention. If, conversely, the abusive drinker or alcoholic is not moved to seek alcoholism counseling after listening to his or her family members articulate the grief, wrath, and frustration they feel about the alcohol abuser’s or alcohol dependent person’s thoughtless drinking behavior and the care they feel for the problem drinker, then every other aspect of the alcohol abuse intervention will basically be meaningless.
Even Successful Alcohol Addiction Interventions Can Backfire In the Long Term
It also needs to be highlighted that despite the fact that the alcohol abuse intervention can be viewed as successful in that it helped put the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual in a more receptive state of mind and openly helped the alcohol dependent individual or alcohol abuser make a decision that he or she required alcohol rehab or quality help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the simple reality that the intervention happened may lead to bitterness, anger, and doubt down the road.
In a few words, even when alcoholism interventions are seen as productive in the short run, in the long term, on the other hand, they may backfire and, for that reason, may make the family and/or the alcohol addicted individual’s situation even poorer than it was before the alcohol abuse intervention took place.
No matter how unwarranted or incongruous this seems, try to keep in mind that it is simply one of the key alcohol facts that has to be confronted when engaging in an alcohol intervention.
A Reason For Joy and Elation
Also keep in mind how satisfying and rewarding it can be when an alcohol intervention is successful. Why? When an alcohol intervention is successful, this means that the problem drinker comprehends what he or she has been doing to those who care the most about him or her and is now ready and willing to get treatment and start on the road to recovery.
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It is interesting to articulate something that family members who have been unfavorably affected by the alcohol addiction of another family member evidently do not know. It appears that by protecting the alcoholic with lies and dishonesty to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have in essence created a situation that makes it easier for the alcoholic to persist and press forward with his or her damaging, destructive way of living.
Undeniably, rather than helping the alcohol addicted individual and themselves, these family members have essentially become enablers who have inadvertently helped deteriorate the alcoholic’s drinking problem even further.
Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcohol dependent person will continue drinking in an excessive and abusive manner and experience a variety of “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include poor health, deteriorating relationships, considerable financial problems, employment difficulties, legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DUIs), and diminished mental functioning.
The Chances of a Relapse are Real
According to the research literature and statistics on alcohol dependency, another key alcohol addiction issue involves alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted person has successfully undergone alcohol addiction treatment and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first thought, this predicament flies in the face of rational thinking and appears to be so unbelievable that it forces one to speculate why anyone who has experienced the misery of alcohol addiction can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol counseling and in turn after reaching recovery. There are, to be sure, numerous conceivable reasons for this.
It should be noted, nevertheless that alcoholism research that has centered on the long-term outcomes of alcoholism has shown that long after the alcohol addicted person has halted his or her drinking, fundamental modifications in the way in which the alcoholic’s brain works are still present. As a result, all a recovering alcohol dependent individual has to do to involve himself or herself in actions that correspond with the modifications that have occurred in the brain is to begin drinking again.
A Requirement for A Radical Lifestyle Modification
There are additional reasons why many recovering alcoholics return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after reaching sobriety. According to the alcohol dependency research literature, to make a successful recovery, the alcoholic needs new ways of reacting and thinking in order to deal more successfully with taxing alcohol-related situations that will take place.
Conditions such as returning to the same alcohol addictive atmosphere or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the days when the alcohol addicted person was drinking abusively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these situations can elicit memories that can prompt psychological anxiety or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol addicted person to engage in irresponsible drinking once again. Unfortunately, all of these situations may not only negate lasting sobriety for the alcohol dependent person but they can also lead to relapse and consequently short-circuit one’s sobriety.
The Good News: There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol dependent person, family members can actually cause unintentional damage by enabling the unhealthy drinking behavior of the alcohol dependent person.
The substance abuse research literature demonstrates the fact that most individuals who effectively complete alcohol counseling go through at least one relapse. Alcohol dependent persons and their family members need to know this so that they do not get crestfallen or stressed out when a relapse occurs.
Fortunately, involvement in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up therapy and education have resulted in more effective, enduring alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction therapeutic outcomes, have helped diminish alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent persons accomplish long lasting alcohol recovery.
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