Alcohol Relapse and When Dishonesty is a Form of Enabling
Written by man on July 5th, 2009 in Uncategorized.
It is interesting to articulate something that family members who have been unfavorably affected by the alcoholism of another family member obviously do not grasp. It seems that by protecting the alcohol addicted individual with untruths and deceitfulness to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have in effect created a condition that makes it easier for the alcohol dependent individual to carry on and press forward with his or her injurious, destructive way of living.
Undeniably, rather than helping the alcohol addicted person and themselves, these family members have in reality become enablers who have mistakenly helped worsen the alcohol addicted person’s drinking problems even further.
The Chances of a Relapse are Real
Another key alcohol addiction issue concerns alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted person has fruitfully undergone alcohol dependency therapy and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this predicament flies in the face of common sense and sounds so unbelievable that it forces an individual to wonder why anyone who has experienced the wretchedness of alcohol addiction can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol treatment and in turn after attaining sobriety. There are, for sure, many conceivable reasons for this.
It should be noted, nevertheless that alcohol dependency research that has centered on the long-term consequences of alcoholism has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcohol dependent person has discontinued his or her drinking, major modifications in the way in which the alcohol dependent individual’s brain works are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcohol dependent person has to do to involve himself or herself in behaviors that correspond with the changes that have taken place in the brain is to engage in drinking again.
The Necessity for An Important Lifestyle Modification
There are additional reasons why several recovering alcohol addicted persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after reaching sobriety. According to the alcohol addiction research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol dependent person needs new ways of acting and thinking in order to deal more effectively with difficult alcohol-related circumstances 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 dependent person was drinking abusively; 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 alcoholic to engage in abusive drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these circumstances may not only contradict ongoing sobriety for the alcohol dependent individual but they can also lead to relapse and consequently negate one’s sobriety.
Summary
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcoholic, family members can in fact cause unintentional damage by enabling the unsafe drinking behavior of the alcohol addicted person.
The alcoholism research literature validates the fact that most individuals who effectively complete alcohol therapy experience at least one relapse. Alcohol dependent persons and their family members need to know this so that they do not get depressed or overwhelmed when a relapse manifests itself.
Luckily, taking part in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up rehab and training have resulted in more effective, long-term alcohol abuse and alcoholism rehab outcomes, have helped decrease alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol addicted individuals attain lasting sobriety.
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