It is interesting to bring up something that family members who have been harmfully affected by the alcohol dependency of another family member clearly do not grasp. It seems that by shielding the alcohol addicted person with falsehoods and deceitfulness to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have basically created a condition that makes it easier for the alcohol dependent person to carry on and proceed with his or her harmful, devastating style of life.
In fact, rather than helping the alcohol dependent person and themselves, these family members have in truth become enablers who have mistakenly helped worsen the alcohol dependent individual’s drinking problem even more.
Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcohol dependent individual will continue drinking in an abusive and irresponsible manner and go through diverse “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 Occur From Time to Time
According to the research literature and statistics on alcohol addiction, another key alcohol dependency issue involves alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent person has successfully undergone alcohol addiction rehab and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first thought, this situation seems contradictory to commonsensical thinking and looks so unbelievable that it forces one to speculate why anyone who has gone through the awfulness of alcoholism can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol rehab and in turn after attaining sobriety. There are, of course, many plausible reasons for this.
It should be pointed out, conversely that alcohol addiction research that has focused on the enduring consequences of alcohol dependency has revealed that long after the alcohol dependent individual has stopped his or her drinking, key alterations in the way in which the alcohol addicted individual’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 taken place in the brain is to start drinking once again.
The Necessity for A Fundamental Lifestyle Change
There are additional reasons why quite a lot of recovering alcohol addicted individuals return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after reaching sobriety. According to the alcoholism research literature, to make a successful recovery, the alcohol addicted person needs new ways of responding and thinking in order to deal more successfully with demanding alcohol-related circumstances that will take place.
Circumstances such as returning to the same alcohol addictive environment or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the time when the alcoholic was drinking irresponsibly; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these circumstances can bring about memories that can set off psychological anxiety or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol dependent person to engage in excessive drinking once again. Sadly, all of these circumstances may not only contradict ongoing sobriety for the alcohol addicted person but they can also result in relapse and therefore go against one’s sobriety.
The Good News: There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol dependent person, family members can actually cause inadvertent harm by enabling the negative drinking behavior of the alcohol dependent person.
The substance abuse research literature demonstrates the fact that most individuals who successfully complete alcohol rehab experience at least one relapse. Alcohol dependent individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get dejected or overwhelmed when a relapse happens.
Happily, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up therapy and education have resulted in more successful, long-term alcohol abuse and alcoholism therapeutic results, have helped decrease alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent individuals reach ongoing sobriety.
