It is remarkable to articulate something that family members who have been negatively affected by the alcoholism of another family member clearly do not realize. It seems to be that by shielding the alcohol addicted person with untruths and deceitfulness to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have basically created a condition that makes it easier for the alcoholic to continue and proceed with his or her negative, destructive style of life.

To be sure, instead of helping the alcohol dependent person and themselves, these family members have in truth become enablers who have mistakenly helped worsen the alcohol dependent person’s drinking problem even further.

The Likelihood of a Relapse is Real

Another key alcoholism issue involves alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted individual has successfully gone through alcohol dependency rehab and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this circumstance seems contradictory to common sense and seems so far-fetched that it forces an individual to speculate why anyone who has gone through the terror of alcohol dependency can return to drinking a short while after effective alcohol treatment and in turn after attaining recovery. There are, without a doubt, many possible reasons for this.

It should be pointed out, conversely that alcohol dependency research that has focused on the long-term effects of alcohol addiction has shown that long after the alcohol dependent individual has halted his or her drinking, fundamental transformations in the way in which the alcohol addicted individual’s brain operates are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcohol dependent person has to do to involve himself or herself in actions that correspond with the transformations that have come about in the brain is to start drinking again.

A Requirement for A Fundamental Lifestyle Modification

There are other reasons why many recovering alcohol addicted persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after reaching sobriety. According to the alcohol dependency research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol dependent individual needs new ways of acting and thinking in order to deal more effectively with tough alcohol-related circumstances 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 days when the alcohol dependent person was drinking irresponsibly; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these conditions can bring about memories that can trigger psychological stress or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol dependent individual to engage in irresponsible drinking once again. Unfortunately, all of these situations may not only get in the way of enduring alcohol recovery for the alcohol addicted person but they can also lead to relapse and therefore work against one’s alcohol recovery.

Summary

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

The drug abuse research literature confirms the fact that most people who effectively complete alcohol treatment go through at least one relapse. Alcoholics and their family members need to know this so that they do not get dejected or beleaguered when a relapse manifests itself.

Fortunately, involvement in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up counseling and training have resulted in more successful, long lasting alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency rehab outcomes, have helped diminish alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent persons accomplish enduring sobriety.