Alcohol Relapse, Enabling, and Alcoholism

It is fascinating to bring up something that family members who have been adversely affected by the alcoholism of another family member obviously do not grasp. It seems to be that by shielding the alcohol addicted individual with falsehoods and dishonesty to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have actually created a condition that makes it easier for the alcohol addicted person to persist and press forward with his or her damaging, destructive style of life.

Clearly, instead of helping the alcohol addicted person and themselves, these family members have essentially become enablers who have mistakenly helped deteriorate the alcohol dependent person’s drinking problem even further.

The Possibility of a Relapse is Real

Another key alcoholism issue involves alcohol relapses.  Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent person has effectively undergone alcoholism treatment and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later.  At first glance, this predicament seems contradictory to logical thinking and sounds so unbelievable that it forces an individual to wonder why anyone who has lived through the dejection of alcoholism can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol treatment and in turn after reaching sobriety.  There are, of course, many likely reasons for this.

It should be highlighted, on the other hand that alcohol dependency research that has centered on the enduring outcomes of alcoholism has revealed that long after the alcohol dependent person has quit his or her drinking, critical alterations in the way in which the alcohol dependent person’s brain operates are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcohol dependent person has to do to involve himself or herself in actions that correspond with the alterations that have come about in the brain is to start drinking once again.

A Requirement for A Major Lifestyle Modification

There are additional reasons why quite a lot of recovering alcohol addicted persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after achieving sobriety. In accordance to the alcohol addiction research literature, to make a successful recovery, the alcohol addicted person needs new ways of responding and thinking in order to deal more effectively with taxing alcohol-related circumstances that will take place.

Circumstances 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 dependent individual was drinking in a hazardous manner; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these circumstances can elicit memories that can prompt psychological tension or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol addicted person to engage in irresponsible drinking once again. Unfortunately, all of these circumstances may not only negate lasting sobriety for the alcohol dependent person but they can also result in relapse and thus negate one’s sobriety.

Conclusion

In an attempt to “protect” the family alcoholic, family members can in fact cause unintended destruction by enabling the harmful drinking behavior of the alcohol addicted person.

The substance abuse research literature confirms the fact that most people who effectively complete alcohol rehabilitation experience at least one relapse. Alcohol addicted persons and their family members need to know this so that they do not get defeated or stressed out when a relapse manifests itself.

Luckily, taking part in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up counseling and education have resulted in more productive, enduring alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction rehab outcomes, have helped decrease alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent persons reach lasting sobriety.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Related posts:

  1. Alcohol Relapse, Alcohol Addiction, and Enabling It is interesting to mention something that family members who have been adversely affected by the alcoholism of another family member evidently do not comprehend....
  2. Alcohol Relapse and When Helping the Alcoholic Becomes Detrimental It is worthy of note to bring up something that family members who have been negatively affected by the alcoholism of another family member obviously...
  3. What I Learned About Drug Addiction and Alcoholism in High School When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I enrolled into a drug abuse class. At that time period, I did not understand...
  4. An Alcoholic Registers For Rehabilitation, Receives Alcohol Detox and Treatment for His Alcoholism and His Depression, and Begins to Live Life to the Fullest Barry used to brag to his buddies how he could work at a 40 hour per week job and get smashed almost every night. Unfortunately,...
  5. Shocking Discoveries About Drug and Alcohol Abuse in High School When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I enrolled into a substance abuse class. At that time period, I did not understand...

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post: