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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