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Alcohol Relapse and When Helping the Alcoholic Becomes Detrimental

September 29, 2009

It is fascinating to articulate something that family members who have been harmfully affected by the alcohol dependency of another family member evidently do not comprehend. It seems that by shielding the alcoholic with untruths and deceitfulness to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have actually created a situation that makes it easier for the alcohol dependent individual to persist and move forward with his or her injurious, destructive daily life.

Undeniably, instead of helping the alcohol addicted person and themselves, these family members have in fact become enablers who have unintentionally helped deteriorate the alcohol dependent individual’s drinking problem even more.

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

The Probability of a Relapse is Real

According to the research literature and statistics on alcohol dependency, another key alcohol dependency issue concerns alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent person has fruitfully undergone alcoholism treatment and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this circumstance flies in the face of logical thinking and appears to be so unrealistic that it forces a person to wonder why anyone who has experienced the dejection of alcoholism can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol rehabilitation and in turn after attaining sobriety. There are, without a doubt, many credible reasons for this.

It should be highlighted, however that alcohol addiction research that has focused on the long-term outcomes of alcohol addiction has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcohol addicted individual has stopped his or her drinking, significant transformations in the way in which the alcoholic’s brain operates are still present. As a result, all a recovering alcohol dependent person has to do to involve himself or herself in behaviors that correspond with the transformations that have come about in the brain is to begin drinking once again.

The Necessity for A Drastic Lifestyle Transformation

There are even more reasons why quite a few recovering alcohol addicted individuals 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 reacting and thinking in order to deal more successfully with taxing alcohol-related circumstances that will take place.

Issues such as returning to the same alcohol addictive environment or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the time when the alcohol dependent person was drinking in a hazardous manner; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these circumstances can elicit memories that can set off psychological anxiety or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol addicted individual to engage in excessive drinking once again. Sadly, all of these circumstances may not only contradict long-term sobriety for the alcohol addicted individual but they can also lead to relapse and consequently negate one’s sobriety.

The Good News: First-Class Help is Available Almost Everywhere

In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol addicted person, family members can in point of fact cause unintentional harm by enabling the destructive drinking behavior of the alcohol dependent individual.

The addiction research literature demonstrates the fact that most people who successfully complete alcohol counseling experience at least one relapse. Alcohol addicted individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get defeated or beleaguered when a relapse happens.

Happily, taking part in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up treatment and education have resulted in more effective, long lasting alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction therapeutic results, have helped decrease alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol addicted individuals achieve long standing sobriety.

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