Alcohol Relapse and When Helping the Alcoholic Becomes Injurious

It is fascinating to mention something that family members who have been adversely affected by the alcoholism of another family member clearly do not realize. It appears that by protecting the alcoholic with untruths and dishonesty to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have essentially created a circumstance that makes it easier for the alcohol addicted person to continue and go forward with his or her harmful, destructive daily life.

Undeniably, rather than helping the alcohol addicted person and themselves, these family members have in truth become enablers who have unintentionally helped negatively affect the alcohol addicted individual’s drinking problem even more.

Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcoholic will continue drinking in an irresponsible and excessive manner and experience diverse “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include considerable financial problems, poor health, legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DUIs), employment difficulties, diminished mental functioning, and deteriorating relationships.

The Chances of a Relapse are Real

According to the research findings and statistics on alcohol dependency, another key alcohol addiction issue concerns alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent person has effectively gone through alcoholism rehab and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first thought, this circumstance seems contradictory to commonsensical thinking and appears to be so doubtful that it forces an individual to question why anyone who has experienced the terror of alcohol dependency can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol counseling and in turn after attaining recovery. There are, without a doubt, numerous credible reasons for this.

It should be pointed out, then again that alcohol dependency research that has centered on the long-term effects of alcohol addiction has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcohol dependent individual has terminated his or her drinking, major changes in the way in which the alcohol addicted individual’s brain functions are still present. As a result, all a recovering alcohol addicted person has to do to involve himself or herself in behaviors that correspond with the transformations that have occurred in the brain is to engage in drinking again.

The Necessity for An Essential Lifestyle Change

There are even more reasons why more than a few recovering alcohol addicted persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after achieving sobriety. According to the alcoholism research literature, to make a successful recovery, the alcohol addicted individual needs new ways of acting and thinking in order to deal more efficiently with taxing alcohol-related circumstances that will take place.

Issues 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 alcoholic was drinking abusively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these circumstances can bring about memories that can set off psychological stress or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcoholic to engage in excessive drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these situations may not only get in the way of enduring alcohol recovery for the alcoholic but they can also result in relapse and thus cancel out one’s alcohol recovery.

The Good News:  There’s a Lot of Hope for Lasting Sobriety

In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol addicted person, family members can essentially cause unintentional destruction by enabling the unsafe drinking behavior of the alcohol dependent individual.

The substance abuse research literature validates the fact that most individuals who effectively complete alcohol counseling experience at least one relapse. Alcohol dependent persons and their family members need to know this so that they do not get crestfallen or overwhelmed when a relapse occurs.

Happily, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up treatment and education have resulted in more effective, long standing alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency treatment outcomes, have helped reduce alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol addicted persons attain enduring alcohol recovery.

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Tagged with: alcohol abuse • alcohol addiction • alcohol dependency • alcohol rehab • alcohol treatment • alcoholism • drinking problems • enabling • sobriety

Filed under: Alternative Therapies

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