Make Love Work

It is remarkable to mention something that family members who have been adversely affected by the alcoholism of another family member obviously do not realize. It seems that by protecting the alcohol dependent person with untruths and dishonesty to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have in essence created a situation that makes it easier for the alcohol addicted individual to continue and move forward with his or her negative, detrimental style of life. Sadly, what applies to family relationships also applies to dating relationships.

Undeniably, instead of helping the alcohol dependent individual and themselves, these family members and dating partners have basically become enablers who have mistakenly helped worsen the alcoholic’s drinking problem even further.

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

Relapses Can and Do Occur From Time to Time

According to the research findings and statistics on alcohol addiction, another key alcoholism issue has to do with alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent person has effectively undergone alcohol dependency rehabilitation and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this situation seems contradictory to common sense and appears to be so far-fetched that it forces one to question why anyone who has lived through the dreadfulness of alcohol dependency can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol counseling and in turn after reaching recovery. There are, to be sure, numerous rational reasons for this.

It should be pointed out, nevertheless that alcohol dependency research that has focused on the long standing consequences of alcohol dependency has shown that long after the alcohol addicted person has halted his or her drinking, significant alterations in the way in which the alcoholic’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 modifications that have taken place in the brain is to begin drinking once again.

The Necessity for A Drastic Lifestyle Change

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. In accordance to the alcohol addiction research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol addicted individual needs new ways of responding and thinking in order to deal more successfully with tough alcohol-related circumstances that will take place.

Situations such as returning to the same alcohol addictive environment or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the days when the alcohol dependent individual was drinking abusively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these conditions can elicit memories that can set off psychological anxiety or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol dependent person to engage in abusive drinking once again. Sadly, all of these situations may not only get in the way of long-term alcohol recovery for the alcohol dependent individual but they can also result in relapse and thus counteract one’s sobriety.

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

In an attempt to “protect” the family’s alcohol dependent individual, family members can in fact cause unintended destruction by enabling the unsafe drinking behavior of the alcoholic.

The alcohol abuse research literature demonstrates the fact that most individuals who successfully complete alcohol counseling go through at least one relapse. Alcohol dependent individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get defeated or overwhelmed when a relapse occurs.

Fortunately, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up treatment and training have resulted in more successful, enduring alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction treatment results, have helped diminish alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcoholics accomplish long standing alcohol recovery.

Tags: health and fitness, relationships, self improvement, teenage alcohol abuse

This entry was posted on Monday, May 3rd, 2010 at 5:19 pm and is filed under make love work. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.