Alcoholic for Life?

Relapsing on your old substance of abuse does not necessarily mean that overcoming an addiction is hopeless. On the contrary, relapse is often a common part of the recovery process. It is important, however, to be fully aware of the challenges and temptations that recovering alcoholics (and other addicts) will face after they leave a rehab facility so as to be able to reduce the chances of a relapse occurring.

One of the biggest challenges is maintaining a commitment to sobriety in the long term. Many recovering alcoholics and addicts begin to miss the social aspects that they associated with alcohol or drug abuse. Alcohol, especially, is such a common part of many business and personal interactions that recovering alcoholics, even decades down the road, might still miss “having a drink with the girls” or ordering wine during a business dinner.

Is it true that alcoholics are alcoholics for life?

Despite some debate in various online forums, most people in the medical community as well as Alcoholics Anonymous consider alcoholism to be a chronic disease that is treatable but not curable. In other words, the same factors that may have triggered the alcoholism or addiction in the first place are still likely to be present; therefore, a single drink could act as the catalyst for sending the recovering alcoholic back into alcoholism. Furthermore, many believe that a recovering addict will relapse at the same amount they were using when they began treatment instead of starting the addiction over again from the beginning. So, although you would like to believe that one drink can’t hurt, that one drink may enable you to rationalize or justify many, many more.

What makes a person an alcoholic for life?

• Environment – stress can trigger someone with a genetic predisposition to alcoholism into both the initial addiction as well as relapse. Another example of an environmental factor might also be social influences.
• Genetics – Research indicates that the presence of a certain gene may distinguish people who can drink casually with no problems from those who develop addictions.

What can I do to reduce the chances of relapse?

• Avoid situations where alcohol (or the drug) will be present. If you must attend a function with alcohol, make a conscious decision to abstain before you leave your home.
• Stress can be a major trigger for relapse. Talk to your therapist about developing an arsenal of healthy coping strategies to use instead of alcohol when you experience stress.
• Develop a new social network of people who will not pressure you to drink or use and who will be supportive of your attempts at sobriety.

What should I do if someone I know relapses?

Talk to the recovering alcoholic about the experience, and encourage them to continue seeing a therapist to uncover the reasons about why it happened. If they regret the relapse and still have a positive attitude about trying to follow the path of sobriety, try to help them develop a plan for avoiding that trigger in the future. However, if you suspect that they are falling back into the addiction, we would encourage you to call eDrugRehab today. Calling sooner rather than later might help them avoid the same negative consequences that they had experienced from the initial stage of the addiction. Our specialists can help you determine the best next step for your specific situation.