Enabling, Alcohol Relapse, and Alcohol Addiction

It is interesting to bring up something that family members who have been harmfully affected by the alcoholism of another family member apparently do not grasp. It appears that by shielding the alcohol dependent person with untruths and deceitfulness to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have actually created a condition that makes it easier for the alcohol addicted person to continue and press forward with his or her harmful, detrimental style of life.

Without a doubt, instead of helping the alcoholic and themselves, these family members have in truth become enablers who have involuntarily helped deteriorate the drinking problems of the problem drinker even more.

The Likelihood of a Relapse is Real

Another key alcohol dependency issue involves alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcoholic has effectively undergone alcohol addiction rehabilitation and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this circumstance seems contradictory to rational thinking and looks so far-fetched that it forces a person to speculate why anyone who has gone through the wretchedness of alcohol dependency can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol treatment and in turn after attaining sobriety. There are, for sure, more than a few reasonable reasons for this.

It should be mentioned, on the other hand that alcohol addiction research that has centered on the long-term outcomes of alcoholism has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcohol addicted individual has halted his or her drinking, significant changes in the way in which the alcohol addicted individual’s brain functions 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 changes that have occurred in the brain is to engage in drinking once again.

The Need for A Crucial Lifestyle Change

There are other reasons why more than a few recovering alcohol addicted persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after attaining sobriety. According to the alcohol dependency research literature, to make a successful recovery, the alcoholic needs new ways of reacting and thinking in order to deal more efficiently with demanding alcohol-related circumstances 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 time when the alcohol addicted individual was drinking abusively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these situations can elicit memories that can prompt psychological tension or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol dependent person to engage in irresponsible drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these situations may not only get in the way of ongoing sobriety for the alcohol dependent person but they can also result in relapse and consequently negate one’s alcohol recovery.

Conclusion

In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol addicted individual, family members can in fact cause unplanned damage by enabling the unhealthy drinking behavior of the alcoholic.

The drug abuse research literature confirms the fact that most people who effectively complete alcohol rehabilitation experience at least one relapse. Alcoholics 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 counseling and training have resulted in more productive, lasting alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction therapeutic results, have helped reduce alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent persons reach long standing alcohol recovery.