Alcohol Relapse and When Helping the Alcoholic Becomes Risky
It is worthy of note to articulate something that family members who have been negatively affected by the alcoholism of another family member plainly do not grasp. It seems to be that by shielding the alcohol addicted person 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 dependent person to continue and proceed with his or her damaging, devastating daily life.
Without a doubt, instead of helping the alcohol dependent person and themselves, these family members have in truth become enablers who have involuntarily helped worsen the alcoholic’s drinking problem even further.
Relapses Can and Do Occur From Time to Time
Another key alcoholism issue involves alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent individual has fruitfully gone through alcohol addiction rehabilitation and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this circumstance seems contradictory to common sense and sounds so improbable that it forces a person to question why anyone who has lived through the awfulness of alcohol addiction can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol treatment and in turn after reaching sobriety. There are, to be sure, many plausible reasons for this.
It should be explained, nevertheless that alcoholism research that has focused on the lasting outcomes of alcohol addiction has shown that long after the alcohol addicted individual has stopped his or her drinking, significant modifications in the way in which the alcohol addicted individual’s brain works are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcohol addicted individual has to do to involve himself or herself in behaviors that correspond with the modifications that have come about in the brain is to engage in drinking again.
A Requirement for A Significant Lifestyle Modification
There are other reasons why numerous recovering alcohol addicted individuals return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after attaining sobriety. According to the alcoholism research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol dependent individual needs new ways of responding and thinking in order to deal more successfully with challenging 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 time when the alcohol addicted individual was drinking excessively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these circumstances can bring forth memories that can prompt psychological stress or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol dependent person to engage in irresponsible drinking once again. Sadly, all of these circumstances may not only work against lasting alcohol recovery for the alcohol addicted person but they can also lead to relapse and as a result counteract one’s sobriety.
Summary
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol addicted person, family members can in point of fact cause unintentional destruction by enabling the harmful drinking behavior of the alcohol dependent person.
The addiction research literature highlights the fact that most individuals who effectively complete alcohol counseling go through at least one relapse. Alcohol dependent individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get down in the dumps or beleaguered when a relapse happens.
Luckily, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up rehab and education have resulted in more successful, long standing alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency rehab outcomes, have helped reduce alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcoholics accomplish long standing alcohol recovery.
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