Dr LeCrone
03-24-2006, 03:07 PM
Alcoholism has been labeled a habit, a compulsion, a pattern of behavior, a disease, a weakness, a result of insecurity.
Highly informed authorities disagree as to the root cause of alcoholism and to the most effective method of addressing the problem.
A variety of treatment approaches are advertised, all of which claim some degree of success in treating alcoholism. If you are someone in your family is considering treatment for alcoholism here are several points which may be helpful.
• The decision to stop drinking usually proceeds as follows: Abusive drinking, attempts to control the quantity of intake, attempts to control drinking by changing the type of alcoholic beverage, periods of abstinence with the goal of returning to drinking, cessation of drinking with no efforts to change lifestyle, and finally the decision to stop drinking permanently with concurrent efforts to modify lifestyle.
• No one is hopeless. The damage done to the body’s systems because of alcohol can begin to reverse when drinking is stopped. Not all damage can be undone, but the body has amazing recuperative powers when a healthy lifestyle is followed.
• There is no such thing as moderation for the alcoholic. The effort to drink like a lady or like a gentleman cannot be maintained. This is discussed by Alcoholics Anonymous.
• A stable, supportive environment provides the optimum condition for recovery. Research on individuals who have maintained sobriety for eight years or longer points to AA, a steady job, and a stable family situation contributing to the recovery process.
• During the early months of recovery, a predictable routine fosters a sense of control. Massive changes involving emotional, physical and social re-orientation occur, especially during the first three months. Such changes include almost every area of life, including short term memory and sexual functioning.
• Willpower alone is seldom sufficient to carry out the decision to quit drinking. Knowledge about the disease is helpful to the family so that expectations will be realistic. Equally important for the alcoholic, is to examine his or her environment for social activities and work. The process of recovery can be helped or hindered in the environments the alcoholic is placed.
• A treatment program helps. The first month without alcohol is particularly important in the recovery process. In Waco, we are fortunate to have alcohol treatment programs that provide medical, educational, social and counseling services.
It has been said that the difference between being sober and being dry is that a person who is dry has merely stopped drinking. But a sober person has stopped drinking and also has achieved peace of mind.
An effective treatment effort should allow the alcoholic to experience a feeling of personal control and achieve a sense of inner serenity without the use of alcohol and the resulting consequences of alcohol abuse.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1985
Highly informed authorities disagree as to the root cause of alcoholism and to the most effective method of addressing the problem.
A variety of treatment approaches are advertised, all of which claim some degree of success in treating alcoholism. If you are someone in your family is considering treatment for alcoholism here are several points which may be helpful.
• The decision to stop drinking usually proceeds as follows: Abusive drinking, attempts to control the quantity of intake, attempts to control drinking by changing the type of alcoholic beverage, periods of abstinence with the goal of returning to drinking, cessation of drinking with no efforts to change lifestyle, and finally the decision to stop drinking permanently with concurrent efforts to modify lifestyle.
• No one is hopeless. The damage done to the body’s systems because of alcohol can begin to reverse when drinking is stopped. Not all damage can be undone, but the body has amazing recuperative powers when a healthy lifestyle is followed.
• There is no such thing as moderation for the alcoholic. The effort to drink like a lady or like a gentleman cannot be maintained. This is discussed by Alcoholics Anonymous.
• A stable, supportive environment provides the optimum condition for recovery. Research on individuals who have maintained sobriety for eight years or longer points to AA, a steady job, and a stable family situation contributing to the recovery process.
• During the early months of recovery, a predictable routine fosters a sense of control. Massive changes involving emotional, physical and social re-orientation occur, especially during the first three months. Such changes include almost every area of life, including short term memory and sexual functioning.
• Willpower alone is seldom sufficient to carry out the decision to quit drinking. Knowledge about the disease is helpful to the family so that expectations will be realistic. Equally important for the alcoholic, is to examine his or her environment for social activities and work. The process of recovery can be helped or hindered in the environments the alcoholic is placed.
• A treatment program helps. The first month without alcohol is particularly important in the recovery process. In Waco, we are fortunate to have alcohol treatment programs that provide medical, educational, social and counseling services.
It has been said that the difference between being sober and being dry is that a person who is dry has merely stopped drinking. But a sober person has stopped drinking and also has achieved peace of mind.
An effective treatment effort should allow the alcoholic to experience a feeling of personal control and achieve a sense of inner serenity without the use of alcohol and the resulting consequences of alcohol abuse.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1985