Alcohol is a legalized type of psychoactive substance that no major event is without. It is there at celebrations and funerals, and it is often used for the purpose of relaxation and distraction. Some people get addicted to its use and become severely dependent, but others can drink moderately all their lives and not suffer from alcoholism. What’s the situation for former alcoholics – can an alcoholic drink in moderation again?
If you went through rehab and after some time you started thinking about drinking in moderation, then you are in the first stage of relapse. It is recommended that you seek professional help. The New Breath Recovery clinic will help you find the strength to give up alcohol completely and find joy in life without using psychoactive substances.
Abstinence vs. Drink in Moderation
Any beverage containing ethanol is a trigger for a return to alcohol dependence. This idea is held by most doctors. If you ask a question about the possibility of moderate alcohol consumption in the AA community, you will get an unequivocal answer: “You can’t!” If a person once had an addiction, it will haunt him for the rest of his life, even after rehabilitation. Any weakness, and moderate drinking is such a weakness, can easily lead a person to serious alcohol problems.
Why is a person who used to abuse alcohol unable to control himself when drinking after treatment? Research suggests that there are certain changes in his brain. After treatment and prolonged abstinence, the brain gradually recovers. Returning to alcohol, on the other hand, can slow down or completely interrupt this process.
You can find many studies on the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, for example, for the prevention of myocardial infarction. But you won’t find a single serious study that talks about the benefits for alcoholics to drink occasionally. This suggests that the possible risks greatly outweigh any benefits of controlled drinking.
Are there people who, after a serious alcohol addiction, started drinking only on holidays? Perhaps, but they are exceptions to the rule and cannot be role models.
The Risks of Drinking Again After Sobriety
Not even a little. Even for decency. A person who has gone through an alcohol addiction is advised to never drink at all. Any glass can be a trigger that can easily aggravate the addiction. One should think of alcohol as a drug, once you try it once you can’t refuse the next dose.
Former alcoholics easily lose control after the first drink. They have the so-called alcoholic memory: the first doses easily bring the person back to the past, from which he got out with the help of many days of therapy.
The first glass is a fragile barrier. Having overcome it, a person with addiction is unable to listen to the arguments of reason. He is no longer in control of the situation.
Dangerous alcohol for a person who has quit using, also at the physiological level. Even a small amount of it can cause damage to the liver and cardiovascular system.
In 99 percent of cases, drinking normally again will not work. This means that there will be relapse, shame and guilt, loss of trust of relatives and friends.
Benefits of Lifelong Sobriety
Every time an opportunity to drink a glass of alcohol arises, you need to remember the journey you had to make to cope with addiction. Because all the efforts can be crossed out in just a few moments. You don’t have to console yourself with the idea that you belong to that rare 1% of people who are able to drink alcohol in small amounts without risking a binge.
The benefits of sober living:
- good health: fewer weight, skin, and immune system problems, lower risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer;
- higher cognitive abilities. Nothing clouds the mind. So thoughts are crisp and clear, less problems with memory and assimilating new information;
- nutrition becomes healthy. A sober person gives preference to healthy food;
- normal state of mind. The mind is not affected by psychoactive substances that can trigger the development of mental disorders;
- good interpersonal relationships. Most people do not abuse alcohol, which means it will be easier to find common ground and build relationships with such people.
Sober living has so many pluses. Stories about some scientist proving the benefits of one glass of wine a day are better left for other people. Never find it an excuse for the “first drink”!
Strategies to Overcome Urges and Maintain Sobriety
Relapse prevention is something that former alcoholics should do every day. One must always remember how much grief alcoholism has brought and how many years of life it has taken away.
Here are some universal tips that will allow you to avoid drinking alcohol and maintain your sobriety:
- make a list of the unpleasant situations you have encountered while drinking alcohol. This list should always be in plain sight as a reminder of your past life;
- avoid socializing with people who use alcohol. There are many other people in the world who choose a healthy lifestyle and are fun to talk to;
- make up a cover story about why you can’t drink. This saves if you need to attend events where other people are drinking alcohol. The most convenient reason for refusing a glass of wine – the incompatibility of alcohol with the medications you are taking, works without fail;
- find a hobby that you enjoy. Think about what you used to want to do and what would bring you pleasure. A hobby can fill the void left by long-term alcohol abuse;
- exercise. Any kind of exercise is a free source of endorphins. Do not neglect this opportunity. You can start by going for walks, then move on to running and sports games. Anyone can find a sport according to their capabilities.
If you feel that you are not coping with addiction and there is a feeling that you can easily go back to alcohol, seek help. It’s not shameful. What is shameful and dangerous to your health is a return to alcohol.
Finding the Right Support to Achieve Your Alcohol Recovery Goals
Recovered alcoholics drinking again is not news, it is just part of the statistics. According to various estimates, about 80% of those people who have gone to rehab drink alcohol in the first year after treatment, 90% in the first four years after rehab. Why does this happen? Because alcoholism is a disease. A very serious disease that requires constant monitoring.
If there is a relapse, you need to immediately seek help from specialists. Even if it is a one-time use of alcohol, which led to a hangover. The earlier you contact an alcohol rehab, the faster the rehabilitation will be and the less damage alcohol will do to your health.
The clinic can offer you safe medical detox. With the help of special supportive medications, doctors will help remove residual alcohol and its metabolites from your body. This approach reduces the painfulness of withdrawal syndrome, which former alcoholics can develop even with controlled alcohol use.
But the best strategy is to deal with the thoughts of alcohol, not the consequences of alcohol use. There are individual, group, and family therapies for this purpose. All of them help motivate you to live a sober life, teach you how to cope with momentary weaknesses and say “no” when people around you suggest having “just one drink”.