It is remarkable to articulate something that family members who have been negatively affected by the alcohol addiction of another family member evidently do not know. It seems to be that by protecting the alcohol addicted individual with falsehoods and deceit to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have essentially created a situation that makes it easier for the alcohol dependent person to carry on and press forward with his or her harmful, devastating way of living.
Without a doubt, rather than helping the alcohol addicted individual and themselves, these family members have essentially become enablers who have involuntarily helped deteriorate the alcoholic’s drinking problem even more.
Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcohol dependent person will continue drinking in a hazardous and excessive manner and suffer from different “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include diminished mental functioning, employment difficulties, poor health, deteriorating relationships, legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DUIs), and considerable financial problems.
Relapses Can and Do Occur From Time to Time
According to the research findings and statistics on alcohol addiction, another key alcohol dependency issue concerns alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted individual has successfully gone through alcohol addiction rehab and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this situation seems contradictory to common sense and sounds so doubtful that it forces one to wonder why anyone who has gone through the dreadfulness of alcohol addiction can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol therapy and in turn after attaining recovery. There are, of course, many likely reasons for this.
It should be pointed out, nonetheless that alcohol dependency research that has centered on the long standing outcomes of alcoholism has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcohol addicted person has halted his or her drinking, critical modifications in the way in which the alcohol dependent person’s brain works are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcohol dependent individual has to do to involve himself or herself in behaviors that correspond with the alterations that have taken place in the brain is to engage in drinking again.
The Need for A Radical Lifestyle Change
There are other reasons why more than a few recovering alcoholics 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 alcoholic needs new ways of reacting and thinking in order to deal more successfully with taxing alcohol-related situations 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 time when the alcohol dependent individual was drinking excessively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these situations can bring about memories that can trigger psychological stress or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcoholic to engage in hazardous drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these situations may not only counteract long standing alcohol recovery for the alcohol dependent person but they can also lead to relapse and thus short-circuit one’s sobriety.
The Good News: Quality Help is Readily Available
In an attempt to “protect” the family’s alcohol dependent person, family members can actually cause unplanned harm by enabling the negative drinking behavior of the alcohol dependent person.
The alcohol abuse research literature validates the fact that most individuals who effectively complete alcohol rehabilitation go through at least one relapse. Alcohol dependent individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get defeated or beleaguered when a relapse occurs.
Happily, taking part in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up counseling and training have resulted in more productive, ongoing alcohol abuse and alcoholism rehab results, have helped reduce alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcoholics accomplish long standing sobriety.
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