Alcoholism Clinic Treatment ? Abstinence From Alcohol and Recovery

Alcoholism Clinic Treatment ? Abstinence From Alcohol and Recovery

Recovery from alcoholism involves a lot more than abstinence. An alcoholic who wishes to remain abstinent from alcohol can make important changes in their lives that will help them to remain sober more easily, and also have a better quality of life.

Simply stopping drinking is attainable, but a painful and miserable existence for many who choose this route. The problem with an alcoholic is eventually not the alcohol; this is a symptom of the problem.

The true issues lie within the alcoholic, and it is these issues that need challenging and healing through continuous ‘work’ by the alcoholic, first in an alcoholism clinic and afterwards through a programme of recovery.

Alcoholism is a disease. It is a progressive, incurable and ultimately fatal illness which ruins the lives of the sufferers and their families and friends. Alcoholics are sick people. They are trapped in a cycle of self abuse which is very hard to stop.

The most successful treatments involve abstinence from alcohol as well as healing through counselling at an alcoholism centre and a daily programme of recovery such as the 12 Steps.

Abstinence plus change
Abstinence (not drinking) alone is a pretty lonely existence. As mentioned above, important changes need to be made in the life and attitude of an alcoholic to help them refrain from drinking.

Through a daily programme such as the programme worked by members of Alcoholics Anonymous, sufferers can live a life that allows them to reach their full potential.

A dry-drunk is an alcoholic that is merely abstinent from drinking. They still display the unfavourable personality traits and characteristics, simply without being under the influence of alcohol.

Denial – why abstinence is not enough

Alcohol addiction, and any addiction for that matter, carries many misconceptions. These misconceptions can keep an alcoholic buried in their life of self-abuse indefinitely. Clients entering an alcoholism clinic will often find themselves challenged on these beliefs, also known as denial.

Denial is something that keeps alcoholics in an ill state of mind and is likely to lead them down the road of drinking again. Some examples of misconceptions and outright lies people tell themselves and others include:

I’m not an alcoholic, yes I have drunk a little too much from time to time but I can stop whenever I want to.

Once I leave an alcoholism centre, I’ll be dried out, so I’ll be fine, I don’t need a recovery programme to follow.

It’s just when I drink scotch that my drinking is a problem. If I drink beer, I don’t get out of hand at all. I just need to stay away from scotch.

I’m here for a break. I’m not like the rest of the people here, they are alcoholics. My drinking just got a bit much so I’m not an alcoholic, I am just in this clinic to get over a bout of depression and I’ll be fine to drink in moderation.

There is no magic cure for alcoholism. If there was, the first thing most alcoholics would do would be to go and get drunk, as they would be able to pick themselves up the next day and carry on with normal life without drinking.

Unfortunately, the disease of alcoholism is always present, and can effectively be treated with a 12 Step Programme.

A 12 Step programme of recovery

Healing inner problems and discomfort takes time and effort. Learning to cope with the everyday aches and pains of life takes practice.

A support structure and programme to assist a sober alcoholic with remaining sober is vital to their recovery and continued abstinence. When an alcoholic works the 12 Step programme, it can arrest and manage their disease indefinitely.

Previously traumatic situations that are a high risk for relapse are far easier for an alcoholic to deal with when they have a support structure offered by 12 Step fellowships and coping mechanisms offered by the 12 Step programme.

A common saying in Alcoholics Anonymous is “abstinence plus change,” as this attitude towards recovery is what the AA programme is all about.

An alcoholism centre can offer an alcoholic the secure foundation they need to remain abstinent and make changes to their life. An alcoholism centre offers an excellent support structure and also introduces alcoholics to the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous; another support structure which will become their lifeline once they reach the end of their treatment.

The support and the programme of recovery that is learnt in an alcoholism centre and used by AA are what differentiate abstinence from abstinence plus change.

www.transformationstreatment.com At Transformations Treatment Center, an alcohol treatment center, the relapse prevention programs is heavily promoted because of its success. All individuals involved in this program are usually successful when they gone back into the real scheme of things. The program teaches the recovering addict how to identify the signs of relapse. They are aware of how to recognize the phases of relapse and be able to work through it once they graduate from this program. There are both individual and group sessions available and both offer encouragement and support to each client. The client experiences various levels of treatment in this program. One such level is one that places the client according to their stage of addiction. They are placed with individuals who are in similar stages. However, there are other levels that allow the client to combine their treatment with recovering addicts who have only been out of addiction treatment for a few days or a few months. This encourages the client to want to continue their path of recovery and gives them the added support necessary to enjoy that recovery. For More Information Visit our site or give us a call at 1-866-211-5538.

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