It is fascinating to bring up something that family members who have been adversely affected by the alcohol addiction of another family member obviously do not realize. It appears that by shielding the alcohol addicted person with untruths and deceit to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have actually created a situation that makes it easier for the alcohol addicted person to persist and press forward with his or her hurtful, devastating existence.

In fact, rather than helping the alcohol dependent individual and themselves, these family members have in truth become enablers who have mistakenly helped worsen the alcohol dependent person’s drinking problem even further.

Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcoholic will continue drinking in a hazardous and abusive manner and experience various “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include diminished mental functioning, deteriorating relationships, serious financial problems, legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DWIs), employment difficulties, and ill health.

The Possibility of a Relapse is Real

According to the research findings and statistics on alcohol dependency, another key alcohol dependency issue has to do with alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted person has effectively gone through alcohol addiction rehabilitation and then resorts to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this situation flies in the face of common sense and seems so improbable that it forces a person to question why anyone who has lived through the awfulness of alcohol dependency can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol therapy and in turn after reaching sobriety. There are, for sure, numerous feasible reasons for this.

It should be noted, nonetheless that alcoholism research that has centered on the lasting consequences of alcohol addiction has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcoholic has halted his or her drinking, key transformations in the way in which the alcohol addicted individual’s brain works are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcohol addicted person 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 once again.

A Requirement for A Drastic Lifestyle Modification

There are additional reasons why numerous recovering alcohol addicted persons return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after attaining sobriety. According to the alcohol addiction research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol addicted individual needs new ways of reacting and thinking in order to deal more competently with difficult alcohol-related situations that will take place.

Circumstances such as returning to the same alcohol addictive environment or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the days when the alcohol addicted person was drinking irresponsibly; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these situations can bring about memories that can prompt psychological stress or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcoholic to engage in abusive drinking once again. Unfortunately, all of these situations may not only contradict lasting sobriety for the alcohol dependent person but they can also result in relapse and as a result negate one’s alcohol recovery.

The Good News: There’s a Lot of Hope for Lasting Sobriety

In an attempt to “protect” the family alcoholic, family members can in fact cause unintended destruction by enabling the negative drinking behavior of the alcohol addicted person.

The drug abuse research literature highlights the fact that most people who effectively 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 crestfallen or stressed out when a relapse manifests itself.

Fortunately, involvement in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up therapy and education have resulted in more successful, enduring alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency rehab results, have helped diminish alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol addicted persons accomplish ongoing sobriety.