It is remarkable to bring up something that family members who have been harmfully affected by the alcoholism of another family member obviously do not comprehend. It appears that by protecting the alcohol addicted individual with falsehoods and deceit to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have essentially created a condition that makes it easier for the alcohol addicted person to carry on and move forward with his or her unsafe, detrimental way of living.

Undeniably, rather than helping the alcoholic and themselves, these family members have in fact become enablers who have inadvertently helped negatively affect the alcohol dependent individual’s drinking problem even more.

Relapses Can and Do Transpire

Another key alcohol addiction issue involves alcohol relapses.  Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent person has successfully undergone alcohol addiction treatment and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later.  At first thought, this situation flies in the face of sound thinking and appears to be so implausible that it forces a person to wonder why anyone who has gone through the dejection of alcohol dependency can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol treatment and in turn after reaching sobriety.  There are, of course, numerous reasonable reasons for this.

It should be explained, then again that alcohol dependency research that has centered on the lasting outcomes of alcohol addiction has revealed that long after the alcohol dependent individual has discontinued his or her drinking, critical transformations in the way in which the alcohol dependent person’s brain works are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcoholic has to do to involve himself or herself in actions that correspond with the alterations that have taken place in the brain is to start drinking again.

The Need for A Major Lifestyle Modification

There are other reasons why more than 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 a successful recovery, the alcohol dependent individual needs new ways of acting and thinking in order to deal more effectively with difficult alcohol-related situations that will take place.

Conditions 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 excessively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these circumstances can bring forth memories that can trigger psychological anxiety or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol dependent person to engage in abusive drinking once again. Sadly, all of these circumstances may not only get in the way of enduring alcohol recovery for the alcohol dependent individual but they can also lead to relapse and therefore negate one’s sobriety.

Summary

In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol dependent individual, family members can essentially cause inadvertent harm by enabling the unhealthy drinking behavior of the alcohol addicted person.

The alcohol abuse research literature validates the fact that most individuals who successfully complete alcohol treatment go through at least one relapse. Alcohol addicted individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get depressed or stressed out when a relapse occurs.

Luckily, involvement in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up treatment and training have resulted in more productive, ongoing alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency therapeutic results, have helped reduce alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent individuals accomplish ongoing sobriety.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I took a drug abuse class. At that time, I did not grasp the fact that alcohol abuse in reality was a sub division of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse, I read a lot about Alcoholic Anonymous, their meetings, how their programs have twelve steps, and how successful the Alcoholics Anonymous recovery program has been for individuals throughout the world. I also learned quite a bit about alcohol rehabilitation and the different alcohol rehab clinics that are habitually available to alcohol abusers.

Some of the detrimental effects linked to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class certainly alarmed me. The ruined lives and frequent problems experienced by most alcohol addicted individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. That is, I did not want to face the disaster and devastation that alcohol dependent individuals almost always encounter.

Reflect on this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old teenager wants to face premature death due to his or her drinking behavior? What adolescent wants to become so out-of-control regarding his or her drinking that consuming alcohol becomes the object of one’s life? What teen wants to go to one of the local alcoholic rehabilitation centers to deal with alcohol-related problems before he or she becomes twenty-one?

What teenager wants to encounter alcohol withdrawals when he or she tries to stop drinking? Why would a person engage in drinking to such an extent that it would cause problems in every area of his or her life? Drinking later in life after an individual has a career, a family, and develops personal responsibilities makes sense. But why would a young person want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that focuses on excessive drinking?

These issues were so important that I talked about some of them in class throughout the school year. What was utterly astounding to me was the number of students who essentially didn’t care about the dangerous effects of irresponsible drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with reality and how these effects can ruin their lives. For the first time in my life I started to comprehend a saying that my grandfather used to say to me all through my youth: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I enrolled into a drug abuse class. At that age, I did not grasp the fact that alcohol abuse in reality was a sub category of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse, I read a lot about Alcoholic Anonymous, their meetings, how their programs have twelve steps, and how successful the Alcoholics Anonymous recovery program has been for people throughout the world. I also learned quite a bit about alcohol treatment and the diverse alcohol rehab facilities that are regularly available to individuals who engage in abusive drinking.

Some of the negative end results related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class definitely worried me. The ruined lives and abundant serious issues experienced by most alcohol dependent people made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. In short, I did not want to face the wreckage and ruination that alcohol dependent individuals almost always experience.

Think about this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old teenager wants to face premature death due to his or her drinking behavior? What teenager wants to become so out-of-control regarding his or her drinking that ingesting alcohol becomes the object of one’s life? What teenager wants to go to one of the local alcoholic rehabilitation centers to deal with alcohol-related issues before he or she becomes an adult?

What teenager wants to deal with alcohol withdrawals when he or she tries to quit drinking? Why would a person engage in drinking to such an extent that it would cause difficulties in every area of his or her life? Drinking later in life after a person has a career, a family, and develops personal responsibilities makes sense. But why would a young person want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that revolves around hazardous drinking?

These issues were so noteworthy that I talked about some of them in class throughout the school year. What was utterly unbelievable to me was the number of students who basically didn’t care about the injurious outcomes of hazardous drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with reality and how these outcomes can shatter their lives. For the first time in my life I started to figure out a saying that my grandfather used to emphasize all through my younger years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.