Alcohol Relapse, Alcohol Dependency, and Enabling

It is fascinating to mention something that family members who have been harmfully affected by the alcoholism of another family member apparently do not realize. It appears that by shielding the alcohol dependent individual with untruths and dishonesty to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have in essence created a circumstance that makes it easier for the alcohol dependent individual to carry on and move forward with his or her damaging, destructive existence.

In fact, instead of helping the alcoholic and themselves, these family members have in reality become enablers who have mistakenly helped negatively affect the alcoholic’s drinking problem even further.

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

Relapses Can and Do Happen

According to the research literature and statistics on alcohol dependency, another key alcoholism issue concerns alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted person has fruitfully undergone alcohol dependency rehab and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first thought, this predicament flies in the face of commonsensical thinking and looks so improbable that it forces a person to question why anyone who has lived through the dejection of alcoholism can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol rehabilitation and in turn after reaching recovery. There are, of course, many rational reasons for this.

It should be highlighted, nonetheless that alcohol addiction research that has centered on the lasting outcomes of alcohol dependency has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcoholic has quit his or her drinking, critical transformations in the way in which the alcoholic’s brain functions are still present. As a result, all a recovering alcohol dependent person has to do to involve himself or herself in actions that correspond with the modifications that have occurred in the brain is to begin drinking once again.

The Necessity for A Fundamental Lifestyle Change

There are other reasons why quite a lot of recovering alcohol dependent individuals return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after reaching sobriety. In accordance to the alcohol dependency research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol addicted individual needs new ways of reacting and thinking in order to deal more successfully with tough alcohol-related situations that will take place.

Circumstances 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 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 alcohol dependent individual to engage in excessive drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these situations may not only negate enduring alcohol recovery for the alcoholic but they can also result in relapse and therefore go against one’s sobriety.

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

In an attempt to “protect” the family alcoholic, family members can actually cause unintentional destruction by enabling the destructive drinking behavior of the alcohol dependent person.

The drug abuse research literature validates the fact that most individuals who successfully complete alcohol rehab go through at least one relapse. Alcohol addicted individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get down in the dumps or overwhelmed when a relapse happens.

Luckily, involvement in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up counseling and training have resulted in more effective, long-term alcohol abuse and alcoholism therapeutic results, have helped decrease alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent persons achieve long lasting alcohol recovery.