Alcohol addiction recovery is a multifaceted thing that can draw many different comparisons depending on how you see it. For example, some think of recovery as a step-by-step process you follow to its logical conclusion. Others are more apt to see it as a jigsaw puzzle with multiple pieces that can be put in place in whatever order works best. There is no right or wrong way to look at it. Analogies are just analogies. What’s important is that each person in need of recovery services gets treated in the way that is best for him or her.
As an organisation completely committed to helping alcohol abusers and their families recover, we have to be able to see things in different ways in order to accommodate the needs of all our clients. We tend to take an approach that treats every client individually for the purposes of ensuring that each one gets exactly what is required to get well.
In light of that, we do understand the many facets of alcohol addiction recovery and how they apply to our clients. To help you better understand, we have created this blog post to explain the most important facets of a strategy to overcome alcohol abuse. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us for answers. We would be more than happy to assist you if we can.
Recovery from Alcohol Starts with Honesty
It would be impossible to accurately talk about the many facets of alcohol addiction recovery without talking about the need for honesty among alcohol abusers and their families. In referring to honesty, we are talking about the basic step of admitting a problem exists. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult for those abusing alcohol to even understand they have a problem, let alone being able to admit it.
Coming to grips with the fact that alcohol is being abused is often the hardest step of recovery. People have trouble being honest with themselves because they see such honesty as a reflection of their character. But alcoholism has nothing to do with character. It is a physical and psychological dependence requiring professional treatment.
To be honest with yourself is to admit that you are abusing alcohol. It is also to admit that your drinking habits are causing problems in other areas of your life. A person able to admit the reality of alcohol abuse is an individual who is then positioned to make a decision to get professional help.
Attitudes about Alcohol Addiction Recovery
Yet another important facet of alcohol addiction recovery is the attitude taken by the person being treated. Alcohol treatments are no different than any other medical treatments in this regard. A person who doesn’t take treatment seriously is one who may not give his or her best effort and, as a result, not really benefit from treatment all that much.
Imagine you are being treated for something like pneumonia. In order to fully recover, the doctor instructs you to do certain things including getting plenty of rest, staying hydrated, staying warm, and taking medication to ensure you don’t contract any kind of bacterial infection. If you’re serious about recovering, you will follow the doctor’s instructions to the letter.
The same holds true for alcohol addiction recovery. To truly benefit from professional treatment, the alcoholic needs to adhere to treatment instructions even if these are inconvenient or difficult to understand.
The person in alcohol recovery will only succeed to the extent that he or she commits to that recovery. That means attitudes are very important. By the way, this is also why trying to force alcohol treatment on someone doesn’t work very well. The person who goes into treatment unwillingly is one who tends to not achieve maximum benefit.
Physical Alcohol Addiction Recovery
Like an addiction, alcoholism affects both the physical body and the mind. Therefore, it would make sense that among the many facets of recovery there is a physical component. Actually, there are numerous physical components thanks to how alcohol affects the body.
The first and most important is detox. Anyone diagnosed as an alcoholic will need to undergo detox in order to create the physical separation that allows the body to begin healing. In addition, there are other physical things to consider. For example, some people find alcohol recovery a lot easier if they embark on a regular exercise routine as part of their treatment. Regular exercise helps refocus the energy and attention while at the same time promoting a mindset of healthy living.
The physical aspects of addiction recovery may also touch things such as diet, nutrition, and ongoing healthcare needs as a result of some of the irreparable damage of heavy drinking. The fact that all these things need to be considered is one of the reasons we recommend bespoke treatment plans rather than a uniform treatment that is not customised.
Psychological Alcohol Addiction Recovery
Some addictions are as psychologically powerful as they are physically. Alcohol addiction is one of them. Alcohol most certainly impacts the physical brain and the way a person thinks. So even after most of the physical aspects of addiction are addressed, there is still plenty of work to do on the psychological front.
Alcoholics need to be educated in regards to what alcohol is actually doing to their minds and bodies. They need to learn what kinds of things trigger addictive behaviour in them and how to avoid those things. They need to learn life-building skills that help them deal with future temptations to drink. Many of them even need to come to terms with who they are as people.
All these things play into the psychological facets of alcohol addiction recovery. Counsellors and therapists use a variety of means for doing so, ranging from group counselling to one-on-one therapy. One clinic may take advantage of art therapy while another might specialise in equine therapy. There really are no limits to the kinds of psychological therapies rehab clinics can utilise on behalf of their clients.
Long-Term Facets of Recovery
We would be remiss if we didn’t explain that alcohol recovery doesn’t stop once formal treatment in a residential facility finishes. Rather, treatment actually continues as the patient reintegrates into normal life and once again resumes his or her place in society. Here at Liberty House Clinic, we utilise aftercare services to make this transition as seamless as possible.
Statistics suggest that recovering alcoholics who relapse are likely to do so in the first year. Therefore, aftercare services tend to put a heavy emphasis on that first 12 months after formal treatment. It is during this time that those in recovery face the most challenging temptations to resume drinking. If we can get patients past the one-year mark, their chances of permanent recovery go up significantly.
As you can see, there is a lot that goes into alcohol addiction recovery. The information provided here just begins to scratch the surface. If you’d like to know more, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We exist to help substance abusers and their families overcome their problems to once again be in control of their own lives. We want to help you and your family as well.