Addiction Recovery Articles

When the end of December and the holidays comes around, people start thinking about changes they want to make in the new year. For some, these changes include a New Year’s Resolution to quit drinking. A wise goal, it seems, but one that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

As the days get shorter, alcohol consumption also goes up, as does binge drinking and drinking and driving. You can blame the crappy weather, but the holidays are the real culprit. While the media portrays them as the “most wonderful time of the year,” the winter season leads many people to feel anxious and alone. This can be especially true for the dependent drinker who is working on recovery.

No one turns around one day and is suddenly an alcoholic. Alcoholism is progressive, with the addiction becoming more destructive over time. The speed of progression is different for each individual, and some fall deeper into the addiction before deciding to get help.

Many individuals have an idea of the effects that long-term alcohol dependence has on the brain. Alcohol consumption, in most cases, does not cause permanent defects in reasoning, memory, or other forms of cognition.

Family members living with alcoholics often find themselves in a tough spot. They feel it is their responsibility to “make” their loved one stop drinking or they downplay how the alcoholic is affecting their lives. Sometimes, they even blame themselves for the alcoholic’s destructive behaviors.

If you are wondering if you have an alcohol problem, you probably do. This doesn’t mean you are an alcoholic, but that alcohol is in some way negatively affecting your life. If someone you know says you have an alcohol problem, this can be accurate or inaccurate, depending on the motivation. If you are truly unsure whether you have a problem or not, the following assessments can help.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5, the popular tool used for billing insurance companies calls it “alcohol use disorder.” But “is alcoholism a disease?” Medical professionals at places like the Mayo Clinic simply refer to it as “alcoholism.” Either way, they list alcohol dependence as a progressive and degenerative disease with specific symptoms for diagnosis.

One of the riskiest times for a person in recovery is immediately after an individual leaves treatment. In treatment, systems are in place to prohibit drinking. Without these restrictions, temptation can rear its head and preventing alcohol relapse can be difficult.

One commonly heard phrase in the treatment community is “Relapse is a part of recovery.” In fact, hearing it often starts a debate between counselors as to the veracity of the statement. While a relapse is certainly not inevitable – and some individuals do give up alcohol for good on the first attempt – it is usually not the case.

What is the outcome? In the initial phases of setting up a monitoring plan, all the standard analysis and counseling should take place and goals should be set based on the unique needs and circumstances of each patient. The goals should be established in a collaborative environment or at least mutually agreed upon by both parties.