Points to consider about alcoholism

In this, my final column relating to alcohol abuse during this month of alcohol awareness, I would like to address issues relating to treatment of this problem.

Alcoholism has been labeled a habit, a compulsion, a pattern of behavior, a disease, a weakness, a result of insecurity and even a flaw in one’s moral character.

Authorities disagree on the root causes of alcoholism and even on the most effective methods of treating the problem.

A variety of treatment approaches are advertised, all of which claim some degree of success in treating alcoholism.

If you or someone in your family is considering treatment for alcoholism, here are several points that may be helpful.

• The decision to stop drinking alcohol permanently usually proceeds as follows: Abuse drinking, attempts to control the quantity of intake, attempts to control drinking by changing the type of alcoholic beverages consumed, periods of abstinence with the goal of returning to drinking in moderation, cessation of drinking with no effort to change one’s lifestyle and, finally, the decision to stop drinking alcohol permanently with the concurrent efforts to modify lifestyle and thinking patterns.

• No one is hopeless. The damage done to one’s body because of alcohol abuse usually begins to be reverse when drinking is stopped.

• Most authorities agree there is no such thing as moderation for the alcoholic. The disease model of alcoholism, which many authorities hold to, views alcoholism as a progressive disease with complete abstinence as the only path to recovery.

• A stable, supportive environment provides the optimal conditions for recovery. Research on individuals who have maintained sobriety for eight years or longer shows that the top three items that point toward success are attendance in a recovery program such as Alcoholics Anonymous, a steady job and a stable family situation.

• During the early months of recovery, a predictable routine and maintenance of relapse prevention strategies enhance the maintenance of recovery.

• Massive changes including emotional, physical and social reorientation occur during this time.

• Most individuals are unable to achieve sobriety and maintain a recovery without some formal rehabilitative process and professional assistance.

Alcoholics Anonymous and other professional efforts have assisted many in learning the difference between being sober and being dry.

A person who is dry has merely stopped drinking. The sober person has stopped drinking and also embraced a different set of perceptions about their lives and strategies for improved mental health.

An effective treatment effort should allow the alcoholic to achieve a sense of inner serenity without the use of alcohol and the resulting consequences of alcohol abuse.

Copyright c 1998 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.