If an alcoholic starts drinking again after a period of sobriety, will he end up where he was when he hit bottom?
If they had been a member of AA they *probably* believe that drinking after a period of sobriety *inevitably* leads to a catastrophic fall toward his / her rock bottom.Because they believe it is inevitable it is pretty likely to happen, that is the way the brain works.In psychology, this is known as the ‘abstinence violation effect’ (AVE) - the *consequences* of violating a commitment to abstinence are substantially determined by the beliefs the individual held about what is likely to happen in the event of such violation.In the 12 Step approach, beliefs around volition are ‘built up’ and reinforced as part of the wall of strength against ever drinking again. Arguably this is a point of strength for the program - the commitment to not drinking ever again is sky high. On the other hand, some would argue that it is a point of strength until a lapse at which point it becomes a liability.This is not the only approach to AVE. Some programmes (such as SMART Recovery and CBT based programmes) argue that whilst drinking again would be a bad idea and highly risky - if you *do* lapse, there is no *inevitability* to this becoming a full blown relapse. ie. the distinction is made between a lapse and relapse - so there is a window of opportunity to get back on the wagon after a lapse.In practice, many, many people with a history of severe alcohol dependency *do* manage to prevent a short lapse becoming a fall to ‘rock bottom’.I have a problem with the ‘inevitability’ belief because it simply does not match what is known about how people recover.It is *normal* to go through a series of lapses and relapses before eventually achieving sustained abstinence - recovery depends on learning from mistakes and slips so that over time they become less frequent. In almost all forms of addiction it is *not* normal to go from addictive behavior to sustained long term abstinence in one go.
Will drinking alcohol while getting over pneumonia make me worse?
Alcohol itself is not much of an added risk to the pneumonia, but staying up late and overdoing it can sometimes cause a set-back in the progress. The antibiotic also makes you get drunk much easier, so a little partying in moderation should be fine if you aren't driving.
Does alcohol in recipes pose a risk to recovering alcoholics?
Ok so unless you are serving a fruitcake with rum or something inside to a total crazy person who can taste every last ingredient in the world, then dont give it to them. Otherwise, its perfectly fine. I cook all the time with wine and rum and vodka and you can never taste it because of the other ingredients. Unless you are splashing it over something without adding other ingredients, you should be fine.
Why do alcoholics drink?
alcoholics don't start out being an alcoholic. They drink for whatever reason to start with, then it becomes a need. Alcoholism is a sickness. Their bodies crave and need the alcohol. Alot of people need to go to a detox center to help them start the road to recovery, also going to AA and being around other recovering alcoholics helps. First let met clarify, the person who is the alcoholic must take the first steps to recovery themselves. You cannot do this for them. They must admit to having a problem and get help. My husband is a recovering alcoholic, he did not go to a detox center, we went thru this on our own. He is sober now going on 5 years. I went to the public library and checked out every book on alcoholism I could find so I could better understand what he is going thru. Getting sober is not easy, nor pretty. You must always understand it is a disease. And there is no easy cure.
My vodka keeps disappearing?
So every Monday morning I drive up to my local drug store and purchase a 1.75 liter bottle of vodka. With some rationing, the bottle typically lasts me until the following Sunday evening. Recently however, I've been running out of vodka on either Wednesday evening or Thursday afternoon. So yesterday, I secretly marked the bottle with a felt-tip marker and, sure enough, vodka was disappearing without me drinking it. The missing vodka probably totaled 6-10 shots. How could this possibly be happening? I have two teenagers but they're under the legal drinking age so I know it can't be them drinking it. My wife is a recovering alcoholic so it's certainly not her. Could the vodka just be evaporating because of the warm weather? Please help because I'm totally confounded...
My boyfriend just turned 21 and is drinking every night...?
Hes not drinking alot and getting really drunk, but since he is able to buy beer now he drinks at least 2-5 beers a day, every day since he's been 21. His dad was an alcoholic but is recovered now but it makes me worry..is this a sign? He doesnt get drunk- he just comes home from work and has a few beers...everyday, is this normal or am i just worrying for no reason?