Alcoholism Never Leaves

It has taken some time but, researchers have come to the conclusion that alcoholism is a diagnosable disease and like other diseases, is chronic and those afflicted are subject to relapse. From a medical perspective, addiction can be compared to diabetes in that it will require long term treatment, lifestyle changes, medication at times and if not monitored, relapse will occur.

Discovering why addicts and alcoholics are so prone to relapse is an area of great concern to all of us. One aspect we identified is that of craving. Craving is the overwhelming desire that an alcoholic still feels for the substance days, months or even years into recovery. Research has shown us that the cravings that the alcoholic experience could be directly related to the long term changes in brain function, due to alcohol abuse. In essence, the brain has become conditioned to function under the influence of alcohol, hence the functional alcoholic, and does not function efficiently without it.

Secondly, it has been established that cravings can be a conditioned response to triggers that the recovering alcoholic may encounter, for example old people, places or things associated with the person's prior alcohol use. Relapse triggers, as they are termed, can create powerful emotional and sometimes physical responses that can lead up to incredible urges to use alcohol again. It is for this reason individuals early in sobriety are urged to change so many aspects of their life. With all of this said, it is clear that a person's relapse is usually preceded by other difficulties which result in the alcoholic feeling angry, lonely, depressed or in self pity.

The issue with relapse that is infinitely grave is not necessarily the fact that the alcoholic has drank again, but the quantity and frequency with which they use is almost identical to right before they began their recovery. Very few, ease their way back into their alcohol abuse. 

There is good news and that is if a relapse is caught early, it can prove to be a very valuable educational tool. The recovering addict or alcoholic might then practice the principles taught to them in their alcohol and rehab program with more willingness and motivation than ever before.

It appears that for those people that are able to maintain long term recovery from alcoholism the solution is much greater than just abstaining from alcohol. The other part of the equation lies in being able to identify cravings, wait out the feelings and become aware of what actually triggered them. Through becoming aware of what triggers the craving, the recovering person can make effective changes in their "life style" which can result in fewer urges to drink or drug. Finally, there are a number of well-known alcohol and drug rehab support groups that provide much needed support to help addicts (and their families) cope with the long term issues associated with both drug addiction and alcoholism.

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Help For An Alcoholic Family Member

Those who have been into alcohol abuse certainly need more than just scolding and humiliation. Upon learning that a family member or friend is undergoing such experience, what would you do?

Well, this has got to be resolved once and for all. To do so, you can always choose to ask for the guidance of an alcohol rehabilitation center. An alcohol rehab serves clients who have been dependents of alcohol. The health professionals here do their very best to help the clients as well as their families in restoring the well-being. 

Here's how the process goes: To complete the whole program of alcohol rehabilitation, there has got to be a combination of physical and mental attributions to the case. Health workers collaborate and make the most out of their capabilities to refurbish the client's over-all functioning. Before anything else, the person themselves should start the change within.

The alcohol rehab only functions to support and enhance the person's whole driving force. Before you actually pick up the phone and inquire for an alcohol rehabilitation clinic near you, remember also that in this process, it is recommended that the client be enrolled to the in-patient program. In this way, you can be sure that the individual is monitored 24/7 and that he or she gets to mingle with a support system that understands his condition. If you are still hesitant, try to research on the previous status of the alcohol rehab. Through this, you can acquire information about the track record of the institution and also, you can learn about how your loved one will possibly be treated once inside.

In here, detoxification also occurs, allowing the cleansing of the body from the induced substance. This entails medical detoxification, physical detox, and emotional. Programs that can aid the dependent Using specialized therapeutic regimen, aside from the medications and detoxification, the rehab clinics promotes wellness through therapies in the form of group and individual activities that cater to the well-being of the client.  There comes the counselling, cognitive and behavioral therapies that serve to refresh the person's mind (restoring optimum roles in the community). He or she is re-oriented with what else he can do to restore his capabilities. He is reinforced of the positive and negative outcome of his actions, just as he mingles with other dependents, interact with them to promote healing.

It is vital that the client experiences fulfillment during the setup. This needs not be painful, but through your support, you can enhance one person's wellness - attainable too through alcohol rehab centers.