Alcohol Dependency, Enabling, and Alcohol Relapse
It is worthy of note to articulate something that family members who have been harmfully affected by the alcoholism of another family member evidently do not grasp. It appears that by shielding the alcohol dependent individual with untruths and deceit to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have essentially created a situation that makes it easier for the alcoholic to continue and advance with his or her injurious, destructive existence.
Clearly, instead of helping the alcohol addicted person and themselves, these family members have in reality become enablers who have involuntarily 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 a hazardous and irresponsible manner and go through a variety of “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include deteriorating relationships, considerable financial problems, legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DUIs), employment difficulties, diminished mental functioning, and poor health.
Relapses Can and Do Happen
According to the research literature and statistics on alcohol dependency, another key alcohol dependency issue involves alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted individual has successfully gone through alcoholism rehabilitation and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this situation flies in the face of logical thinking and sounds so implausible that it forces an individual to speculate why anyone who has experienced the dreadfulness of alcoholism can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol treatment and in turn after reaching sobriety. There are, to be sure, many rational reasons for this.
It should be explained, then again that alcoholism research that has centered on the long standing outcomes of alcoholism has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcoholic has discontinued his or her drinking, significant transformations in the way in which the alcohol dependent person’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 transformations that have taken place in the brain is to begin drinking once again.
A Requirement for An Essential Lifestyle Modification
There are additional reasons why quite a few recovering alcohol addicted persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after attaining sobriety. In accordance to the alcohol dependency research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol dependent person needs new ways of responding and thinking in order to deal more competently with taxing alcohol-related situations that will take place.
Circumstances 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 dependent person was drinking abusively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these situations can bring forth memories that can trigger psychological anxiety or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol dependent person to engage in excessive drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these circumstances may not only negate long-term alcohol recovery for the alcohol addicted person but they can also result in relapse and therefore short-circuit one’s sobriety.
The Good News: There’s a Lot of Hope for a Lasting Recovery
In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol dependent individual, family members can in fact cause inadvertent damage by enabling the unsafe drinking behavior of the alcoholic.
The alcohol abuse research literature confirms the fact that most individuals who successfully complete alcohol rehab go through at least one relapse. Alcohol addicted individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get defeated or overwhelmed when a relapse manifests itself.
Happily, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up counseling and education have resulted in more productive, long standing alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction treatment outcomes, have helped decrease alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol addicted individuals accomplish long lasting alcohol recovery.
A Young Man Makes an Appointment to See His Family Physician About His Drinking Problems and His Depression
Denny is a fifteen-year-old teenager who has decided to go and see his family doctor about his abusive and hazardous drinking. At first, Denny thought he would be able to essentially go on the Internet, look for some straightforward alcohol info and decide whether or not he was addicted to alcohol.
Not unexpectedly, he discovered more than a few websites that specified some of the well-known alcoholism symptoms. That’s the positive news. The bad news, sadly, was that Denny manifested a host of these alcoholism symptoms.
Illustrations of Alcohol Addiction Symptoms
As a case in point, Denny has been drinking significantly more than usual and he has begun to have more highly charged squabbles with his girlfriend. In the same way, for the first time in his life he has been suffering through sleeping problems. If this wasn’t enough, Denny frequently has felt depressed and on a growing basis he has been displaying less than usual concentration while at school. What is more, he has felt highly stressed and more anxious on a regular basis and for the past five or six months he has shown evidence of unclear thinking at school. Since Denny has been exhibiting all of these symptoms, he was understandably apprehensive about his abusive and hazardous drinking.
So Denny decided to make a phone call to his physician and schedule an appointment. Actually, this was rough for Denny because his doctor was also his parents’ physician. The source of his anxiety was this: at the risk of embarrassing his family, he had to go and expose his careless and abusive drinking behavior to his family physician.
When Denny arrived at the doctor’s office, he truthfully notified the physician about the trepidation he has about his irresponsible drinking behavior. When the family physician asked what was setting off this fear, Denny affirmed that he had gone on the Internet and read about dependency on alcohol and especially about alcohol dependency symptoms. He then outlined all of the alcohol addiction symptoms that he without a doubt thought he possesses.
A Complete Physical Assessment and Outpatient Alcohol Treatment
The family physician informed Denny that it was intelligent of him to address his drinking difficulties, he gave Denny an exhaustive physical assessment, and recommended that he talk to his Mom and Dad about entering into an out-patient alcohol rehab center that was supervised by Doctor Berger, one of his doctor colleagues who is an alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency specialist.
What is more, when Denny said that he has been feeling a sense of despair to a greater degree, the family physician informed Denny that alcoholism and depression on a fairly regular basis occur in the same person. For that reason, the healthcare practitioner also suggested that Denny talk to his parents about obtaining counseling to tackle his sense of despair. In fact, Denny can go to the local mental health center and make an appointment with Doctor Arndt, an eminent clinical psychologist who specializes in treating teenagers.
The Significance of Coming To Grips With Your Drinking Problems and Getting Encouraged About Making Healthy and Positive Changes in Your Life
The family doctor made it a point to inform Denny that he might not necessarily be alcohol dependent, but that he was certainly drinking in a careless manner. In other words, Denny was engaging in teen alcohol abuse. The doctor then told Denny that the reason he suggested alcohol rehabilitation in the first place was because he wanted him to come to terms with his drinking issues, make sure that he prevented them from intensifying, and start to live in a more healthy manner, even if it meant that he had to completely stop drinking.
To put it briefly, by effectively treating his drinking difficulties, Denny would be able to get his drinking issues under control and stop the negative sequence of events that could in all probability lead to alcohol dependency.
Denny undeniably did not look forward to facing his parents about his hazardous drinking and his depression. And he surely did not want to face the thought of getting registered into an alcohol treatment facility. And finally, he was not ecstatic about going to a psychologist about his excessive sadness. In the face of these anxieties, then again, Denny in fact experienced some emotional relief for the first time in quite a few months because in the end he quit making excuses for himself and finally determined that he needed to do something positive about his excessive and careless drinking.
A Married Couple Becomes Troubled About Their Hazardous and Excessive Drinking and Deliberates Whether They Exhibit Any Alcohol Dependency Signs
Jerry and Sarah have been married for four years. They wanted to have some fun and excitement before they made up their minds to have some kids and so they by design developed an extremely dynamic social life.
The chief difficulty, it needs to be emphasized, is that just about everything they do for excitement is associated with drinking. As an illustration, all of the dinner engagements, sporting events, happy hours, family get-togethers, and parties with friends they attend are related to drinking.
Sarah and Jerry Start to Notice Some Obvious Alcohol Related Difficulties That are Associated With Their Abusive Drinking
If they were casual drinkers, this wouldn’t be a major problem. Since they drink rather abusively, however, they are starting to perceive some definite alcohol-related problems in their lives.
For instance, just five days ago Jerry was placed under arrest for his first DUI and has been ignoring responsibilities at work because of alcohol-related health problems. Moreover, Jerry’s last two performance assessments at his place of employment have been less than satisfactory and he has started to forget what he says or does while he drinks. Finally, Jerry has been having sleep-related problems and his family has begun to display some uneasiness about his drinking behavior.
Not unlike Jerry’s situation, Sarah has been feeling depressed with life in general and to come to grips with these feelings, she has been drinking more regularly than any time in the past ten months. Furthermore, Sarah has been getting quite a few painful headaches and suffering from excruciating hangovers due to her drinking. Lastly, Sarah has been feeling considerably less energetic in the morning, she has been getting to work late every Monday, and she has been receiving some insensitive criticism from her friends, relatives, coworkers, and family members about her hazardous drinking.
Watching the TV and Going Through the Channels and Finding A Special Program About the Signs of Alcoholism
One Tuesday evening while watching TV, Sarah and Jerry stumbled upon an enchanting program about the signs of alcoholism.
This television documentary was a real shock to Sarah and Jerry because more than a few of the alcoholism signs that were featured looked as if they were unshakably related to more than a few of the alcohol-related drinking problems Sarah and Jerry had been experiencing.
An Open Chat About Drinking Activities Brings to Light Alcohol Related Employment, Financial, Relationship, Health, and Legal Problems
After watching the TV program, Sarah and Jerry arrived at a decision to have a truthful talk about their drinking condition. They both concurred that most, if not all, of their social functions included drinking, that they were drinking abusively, and that as a married couple, they were starting to note alcohol related relationship, legal, financial, health, and employment problems for the first time in their lives.
With thoughts of the TV special still fresh in her mind, Sarah asked Jerry if some of the alcoholism signs they have been exhibiting could be a warning that they are alcoholic or perhaps becoming addicted to alcohol. Jerry didn’t know the answer to Sarah’s inquiry and so he suggested that they make an appointment with one of the doctors at the nearby alcohol abuse rehab center to find out more about the seriousness of their drinking issues.
Attending To Your Drinking Problems Just Might Reduce Your Anxiety and Give You Some Peace of Mind
Ironically, although their drinking situation hadn’t yet changed, it was clear to see that Sarah and Jerry were at the very least addressing their drinking difficulties, they were ready to find out more about their drinking situation, and they were interested in finding out how they could significantly lessen or get rid of the drinking-related problems that had started to intensify.
When Sarah and Jerry went to bed that night, they decided that the next afternoon, Jerry would call and make an appointment for both of them at the drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic located just West of the State Capital. After they promised one another that they would do whatever it takes to cope with the alcohol-related problems that had become apparent in their lives, they truly had the most refreshing night’s sleep they could recollect in the last seven months.
Just before he fell asleep, Jerry turned to Sarah and noted how easy it is to decrease one’s nervousness and in point of fact experience a degree of peacefulness by addressing one’s problems with conviction and coming to a decision to do something productive about them.
Do You Have A Problem With Your Drinking?
How do you recognize that you have a problem with your drinking? When is it evident that you are engaging in excessive drinking?
If you have hopelessly attempted to discontinue your drinking or if you sworn to yourself that your drinking days are behind you and then you recognized that you were drinking excessively just a few days later, the odds are exceedingly good that you have drinking problems. The major point of emphasis is that if you have tried to quit drinking and cannot bring this about, then your drinking is controlling you, rather than the other way around.
In a similar manner, if it takes greater amounts of alcohol to get the same “high,” more likely than not you need to become aware that you have a drinking problem.
You may be telling yourself that the justification for your drinking is so that you can lessen your apprehension or get rid of the hurt that you feel. In much the same way, you may be trying to avoid an injurious circumstance and may be looking for something more beneficial, more positive, or less regretful.
As you keep on drinking, however, you will become aware that drinking does not bring forth the same high and you will also become aware that drinking doesn’t help remove whatever produced your sorrow in the first place.
As you continue to drink, regrettably, you may become an alcoholic and, as a consequence, you may add another pivotal problem to cope with rather than becoming aware of more effective and healthy ways of coping with your alcohol generated problems.
The Necessity for an Alcohol Evaluation
If you have figured out that you have a problem with your drinking, maybe the most practical thing you can do for yourself is to call your physician or healthcare practitioner and schedule an appointment for a thorough physical and for an assessment of your drinking behavior.
If you truly think that you have a crucial drinking problem, it might be a good idea to get prepared to find out that you need to get alcohol therapy.
At this point in your life, what are your choices? You can certainly refuse to see your health care practitioner and persevere with your pattern of abusive drinking.
It certainly doesn’t take a genius, nevertheless, to comprehend that repeated, abusive drinking, if left untreated, will get worse over time and in all probability result an early death. Therefore, your most expedient choice is to confront your drinking circumstance and obtain the alcohol rehabilitation you need.
The Deception of the Functioning Alcoholic
It is almost counter intuitive to note the fact that several alcohol addicted people lead busy and active lives and have jobs, vehicles, pets, families, houses, and any number of material possessions similar to people who are not alcohol dependent.
Many of these “functional” alcohol dependent individuals may have never been cited for drunk driving and may have been lucky enough to avoid all alcohol induced legal issues. In spite of this fortunate circumstance, then again, these alcoholics need to drink in order to operate on a daily basis while upholding their facade as they interact with the outside world.
Ask anyone who has seen them when they are engaging in one of their drinking binges or in a drunken stupor or ask a family member about the problem drinker’s alcohol addiction, nevertheless, and they will be quick to articulate the validity of the drinker’s situation and the details about the alcohol dependent person’s drinking condition and about his or her alcohol generated problems.
Why Do Alcohol Dependent Individuals Fail to Focus On Their Drinking Difficulties?
As alcohol dependency research and statistics on alcohol abuse have underlined, no matter how apparent the alcohol-related issues seem to those who interact with the alcoholic, alcohol dependent people often deny that drinking is the source of their alcohol generated predicaments. Not only this, but alcohol dependent people frequently blame their alcohol-related difficulties on other people or upon other situations around them instead of seeing their part in the issue.
The root of the difficulty is that alcohol dependency is a disease of the brain. Once the person has become addicted to alcohol, he or she characteristically resorts to denial, manipulation, and deceit as a way of coping with the fact that his or her drinking is out of control. And to make things more problematic, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms commonly counteracts the alcohol dependent individual’s rare attempts to abruptly quit drinking. As miserable as the alcohol dependent person’s existence is, nevertheless, the positive news is that competent help is usually available – if the alcohol addicted individual reaches out and tries to get alcoholism treatment.
Summary
Owning up to the fact that drinking is triggering problems in your day by day functioning is conceivably the easiest way to find out if you have a drinking problem. Stated another way, if your drinking is bringing about problems with your health, with your employment, in your relationships, with your finances, at school, or with the law, then you have a drinking problem that needs to be resolved.
If you have a problem with your drinking, additionally, this means that you are involving yourself in excessive drinking.
While some people may be able to come to grips with their “alcohol signs,” pinpoint their difficulties, and significantly reduce the quantity and occurrence of their drinking, other drinkers, conversely, need to manage their drinking difficulties by getting quality alcoholism counseling. Additionally, due to their propensity to deny the facts and alter the truth, alcoholics positively need quality alcoholism therapy for their hazardous drinking.