Abstinence provides a clear boundary and eliminates the possibility of relapse, offering the best chance for sustained recovery and improved overall well-being. Specialists in addiction treatment largely recommend abstinence as the safest and most sustainable choice. Research consistently shows that complete sobriety minimizes the risk of relapse and improves mental, emotional, and physical well-being over time. You may need medical help in your transition to sobriety to blunt the effects of withdrawal.
The individual will eventually, and in most cases quickly, find themselves back where they started before making the noble decision to get sober and clean up the consequences of their actions. In many cases, the individual may even find himself or herself at a deeper level of addiction after relapsing. Of course, it varies from drinker to drinker, and no expression of the disease is the same.
Relapse is something that can but doesn’t have to be part of the recovery process. By being aware of these stages of relapse, you may be able to identify the signs early on in yourself or someone else and take steps to adjust what’s happening before there’s a full-blown relapse. Holistic therapy for addiction at Harmony Ridge Recovery combines traditional approaches with alternative methods to address the mind, body, and spirit. Techniques like mindfulness, yoga, art therapy, and meditation are integrated into treatment plans to promote overall well-being and help individuals find balance in their recovery journey.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted alcohol-related deaths, with deaths rising approximately 25 percent between 2019 and 2020. While all age groups were affected, the increase was the highest in the age group. Include the names of everyone on your medical and support teams and how to contact them.
I really didn’t want to give up alcohol if I’m being completely honest, but I knew it was the one thing that could make a huge difference in my life and health. “Unfortunately, for some people the extent of brain cell loss means recovery isn’t complete.” Instead of being cordoned off to a decidedly unsexy corner of a drink menu, mocktails now often get an entire page of their own. Luxury powerhouse LVMH’s liquor division, Möet Hennessy, recently invested in a minority stake in the nonalcoholic wine brand French Bloom.
Only someone with an unhealthy obsession for alcohol would throw caution to the wind in order to find out for themselves. However, in some cases, it is needed in order to find out the truth of your own addiction. While the recovery period may be challenging, it’s also filled with milestones that can transform your life into one that’s alcohol rehab better than you could have previously imagined. Clinical evidence suggests that the most common causes of relapse during this stage are neglecting self-care or not attending self-help groups. The mental challenge of this stage is not to let anything make you feel defeated.
First, rather than viewing your relapse as a sign of failure, accept it as a step in your journey to sobriety that signals you need to revise your recovery approach. Shame and guilt about past alcohol use increase a person’s risk of relapse. If they relapse, these negative emotions often intensify, creating a cycle of abstinence and relapse that is difficult to break without professional help. If you’ve been in a program, immediately connect with your counselor, therapist, support group, or mentor. Recommit to your self-care plan, drinking again after sobriety especially activities that eased stress and other emotional triggers. Many people think preventing a relapse means just saying “no” to a drink.
Drinking in moderation typically refers to consuming alcohol within recommended guidelines. For most adults, this means one or two drinks occasionally, without a loss of control. It involves drinking with restraint, setting clear limits, and avoiding excessive consumption. However, for someone who has struggled with alcohol addiction, moderation poses unique challenges. Although relapse is most common in early recovery, it can happen after many years of sobriety which can be especially dangerous to older adults.
The recovering person may talk themselves into drinking again by creating a strategy for achieving moderation. Or they may have simply acted out of urgency when triggered by stress. A person in recovery with an AUD may justify drinking by avoiding hard liquor and only drinking beer or wine, but unfortunately, the disease does not differentiate, and it’s a slippery slope. To justify drinking, people in recovery might pledge not to drink before a certain time of the day or on specific days of the week. While it shows the individual with an AUD is setting boundaries, there is no way for an alcoholic to drink alcohol again in a healthy way.
We’re now long past the days of “Red wine is good for you”—in January of 2023, the World Health Organization published a warning https://ecosoberhouse.com/ that no amount of alcohol is safe for our health. And in early January of 2024, the United States surgeon general said that alcohol should have cancer warning labels similar to the warning on a box of cigarettes. Prolonged abstinence along with healthy eating and exercise during this stage can also allow people to begin recovery from liver damage. Engaging in subtle and sympathetic conversations and getting alcoholics to explore the pros and cons of their own behavior, for example, can help to lay the groundwork for the second stage of recovery. During this stage, people are experiencing the negative impacts of their alcohol addiction, but they have no intention of changing their behavior. If you think you may have a drinking problem, you’re definitely not alone.
