It is worthy of note to articulate something that family members who have been adversely affected by the alcoholism of another family member clearly do not realize. It seems that by shielding the alcohol addicted individual with untruths and deceit to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have in effect created a situation that makes it easier for the alcohol addicted person to persevere and press forward with his or her injurious, destructive daily life.
In fact, instead of helping the alcohol dependent individual and themselves, these family members have in fact become enablers who have inadvertently helped deteriorate the alcohol addicted person’s problem drinking situation even further.
The Possibility of a Relapse is Real
Another key alcohol addiction issue has to do with alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted individual has fruitfully gone through alcohol dependency rehab and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this circumstance flies in the face of rational thinking and sounds so far-fetched 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 successful alcohol treatment and in turn after reaching recovery. There are, without a doubt, many credible reasons for this.
It should be pointed out, conversely that alcohol addiction research that has focused on the long standing effects of alcohol dependency has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcohol addicted individual has discontinued his or her drinking, critical changes in the way in which the alcoholic’s brain functions are still present. As a result, all a recovering alcohol dependent individual has to do to involve himself or herself in actions that correspond with the modifications that have come about in the brain is to start drinking once again.
The Necessity for A Radical Lifestyle Modification
There are even more reasons why many recovering alcoholics return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after achieving sobriety. In accordance to the alcoholism research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol addicted person needs new ways of reacting and thinking in order to deal more successfully with difficult alcohol-related circumstances 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 addicted individual was drinking excessively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these circumstances can elicit memories that can trigger psychological tension or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcoholic to engage in hazardous drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these situations may not only work against lasting sobriety for the alcohol dependent person but they can also result in relapse and as a result cancel out one’s sobriety.
Conclusion
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol dependent person, family members can actually cause unplanned damage by enabling the destructive drinking behavior of the alcohol dependent individual.
The drug abuse research literature highlights the fact that most individuals who effectively complete alcohol rehabilitation experience at least one relapse. Alcoholics and their family members need to know this so that they do not get dejected or overwhelmed when a relapse manifests itself.
Happily, involvement in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up treatment and education have resulted in more productive, enduring alcohol abuse and alcoholism therapeutic outcomes, have helped decrease alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol addicted individuals accomplish enduring sobriety.