It is interesting to mention something that family members who have been adversely affected by the alcoholism of another family member apparently do not understand. It appears that by protecting the alcohol dependent person with lies and deceitfulness to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have in essence created a circumstance that makes it easier for the alcoholic to persist and press forward with his or her negative, destructive lifestyle.
Indeed, instead of helping the alcohol addicted person and themselves, these family members have in truth become enablers who have involuntarily helped deteriorate the alcohol dependent person’s drinking problem even more.
Relapses Can and Do Occur
Another key alcoholism issue has to do with alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcoholic has effectively undergone alcohol dependency therapy and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this predicament seems contradictory to sound thinking and seems so doubtful that it forces an individual to wonder why anyone who has gone through the dreadfulness of alcohol addiction can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol treatment and in turn after reaching recovery. There are, of course, numerous conceivable reasons for this.
It should be highlighted, nevertheless that alcoholism research that has focused on the long-term consequences of alcohol dependency has revealed that long after the alcohol addicted person has quit his or her drinking, significant modifications in the way in which the alcohol addicted individual’s brain works are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcohol addicted 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 again.
A Requirement for A Significant Lifestyle Modification
There are even more reasons why quite a few recovering alcohol dependent persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after attaining sobriety. In accordance to the alcoholism research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcoholic needs new ways of responding and thinking in order to deal more efficiently 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 alcoholic was drinking in a hazardous manner; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these conditions can elicit memories that can prompt psychological tension or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol addicted individual to engage in abusive drinking once again. Unfortunately, all of these situations may not only work against long standing alcohol recovery for the alcohol addicted individual but they can also result in relapse and therefore negate one’s alcohol recovery.
Conclusion
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol addicted individual, family members can in fact cause unintentional damage by enabling the unsafe drinking behavior of the alcohol dependent individual.
The alcohol abuse research literature demonstrates the fact that most people who effectively complete alcohol treatment experience at least one relapse. Alcohol addicted individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get depressed or beleaguered when a relapse takes place.
Luckily, taking part in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up rehab and training have resulted in more successful, enduring alcohol abuse and alcoholism rehab results, have helped reduce alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol addicted persons accomplish lasting sobriety.
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