Enabling, Alcohol Dependency, and Alcohol Relapse
It is remarkable 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 alcoholic with falsehoods and deceit to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have in effect created a circumstance that makes it easier for the alcoholic to carry on and advance with his or her damaging, devastating style of life.
Clearly, instead of helping the alcohol addicted individual and themselves, these family members have basically become enablers who have involuntarily helped worsen the alcohol dependent person’s drinking problem even more.
Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcohol dependent person will continue drinking in an irresponsible and abusive manner and suffer from various “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include deteriorating relationships, employment difficulties, ill health, diminished mental functioning, serious financial problems, and legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DWIs).
The Likelihood of a Relapse is Real
According to the research literature and statistics on alcohol dependency, another key alcoholism issue involves alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted person has effectively gone through alcoholism therapy and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first thought, this predicament seems contradictory to logical thinking and sounds so improbable that it forces a person to speculate why anyone who has gone through the dejection of alcohol addiction can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol rehab and in turn after reaching sobriety. There are, to be sure, many rational reasons for this.
It should be noted, nevertheless that alcohol addiction research that has focused on the lasting effects of alcoholism has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcohol dependent person has halted his or her drinking, critical changes in the way in which the alcohol dependent person’s brain works are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcohol addicted individual has to do to involve himself or herself in behaviors that correspond with the changes that have occurred in the brain is to engage in drinking again.
The Need for A Radical Lifestyle Modification
There are additional reasons why several recovering alcohol dependent persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after attaining sobriety. In accordance to the alcohol addiction research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol dependent individual needs new ways of responding and thinking in order to deal more efficiently with demanding 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 days when the alcohol addicted individual was drinking excessively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these situations can bring about memories that can set off psychological stress or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol dependent individual to engage in hazardous drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these situations may not only get in the way of ongoing sobriety for the alcoholic but they can also lead to relapse and thus short-circuit one’s sobriety.
The Good News: First-Class Help is Available Almost Everywhere
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol addicted individual, family members can essentially cause unplanned destruction by enabling the unsafe drinking behavior of the alcohol addicted person.
The drug abuse research literature highlights the fact that most people 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 down in the dumps or beleaguered when a relapse takes place.
Fortunately, taking part in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up treatment and training have resulted in more effective, enduring alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency rehab results, have helped diminish alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent individuals reach ongoing sobriety.