The truth about Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a disease. The alcoholic craves an alcoholic beverage as strongly as a person who is hungry craves food, or a person who is thirsty craves a glass of water.
There is a genetic connection discovered by scientists who have studied the disease. In other words, alcoholism can run in families; much the same way as other diseases can. There are other factors that are present just as even though Diabetes may run in your family, not all siblings contract the disease. So, it is with Alcoholism. Not all family members will become alcoholics. The other factors may be the presence of peer pressure, availability of alcohol, etc.
It is not true that Alcoholism can be cured. There is no such accuracy in the thinking that “a person who has been drinking for just a short period of time can be cured”. The length of time the person has been drinking has nothing to do with the disease being a part of that person’s physical makeup. An alcoholic can through professional help and a system of support be able to stay dry/sober over a period of time; but the disease will still be there and the person must always remember that. Understanding the disease and that there is no cure is an important part of being able to be in control of the disease.
Even though there is no cure for Alcoholism, a person can be helped to stop drinking by using the tools of counseling and medications prescribed by a physician who is experienced in treating Alcoholics. Some of the more commonly used prescriptions used to treat Alcoholism are disulfiram, naltrexone, and acamprosate. These medications are used to both reduce the occurrence of drinking and to help avoid a relapse into heavy drinking. These medications are also used to foster abstinence in the person who suffers from Alcoholism. Treatment for Alcoholism is like the treatment for any other chronic disease; there are varying degrees of success. The degrees can vary from total success in that a person undergoes counseling, and medication therapy and never touches a alcoholic beverage again, to someone who experiences several relapses to someone who cannot stay sober despite counseling, support and medications.
There are things that family members, friends and others who care about Alcoholics can do when the person who is suffering refuses to get help. Some of these things are:
Do not protect the person by covering up the consequences of their drinking. The person needs to be forced to be responsible for the consequences of his/her disease and the actions they partake in while drinking. Sometimes the court will force a person into a treatment center, this is a difficult way to have help come about; but for some it is a blessing in disguise.
Speak of your concerns to the person as soon as you can following an alcoholic event. Make sure that the person is sober before approaching them, so that they have the ability to understand what is being said. Any discussion should be conducted in privacy and when all involved have had the chance to calm down. During the discussion there should be a listing of what consequences occurred or what the results of the drinking event were. Be as specific as you can in regard to these results and consequences. Using examples can help the person relate to your concern regarding the drinking problem.
It is important to get help for the person suffering from Alcoholism. Have counseling, treatment and support information ready and available when you decide to discuss or confront the person.
Discussing and offering information with the alcoholic is called “intervention”. It is where you intentionally confront the person with the issues involved in the drinking problem, but in a way that is helping to solve the problem and not just to be critical or as a form of punishment.
There are support groups for all members of the family of Alcoholics: spouses, significant others, teens and children. These support groups help those close to an alcoholic to understand the disease better and to be able to connect with others who have similar experiences.
Recommended Reading
- The Power of Group Support For Alcoholism
