For successful alcohol addiction recovery, three factors must come together simultaneously. Addiction recovery is amazingly complex subject that just begs to be broken down into simplicity. Here are the three factors that should come together to have a reasonable chance of success and lifelong abstinence:

1. Strong motivation – If the drinker is not aware or can’t see that drinking has become problematic, the logic becomes why fix something that isn’t broken?. This is a huge problem because the denial of a problem is one of the defining characteristics of alcohol addiction. Now, even if the drinker does believe that they have a problem, there’s a question of whether they’re willing to do something about it, and what are they willing to do? Often they may concede that there’s a problem with their drinking, but are not motivated to “do what ever it takes” to become completely abstinent. They will spin around in circles in futile efforts to maintain ‘control’ over their drinking.

2. Timing – If the drinker concedes that they have a problem with alcohol addiction or it is causing problems in their life, that’s great, but it’s not enough. Many drinkers are fully aware that they have a problem but not ready to do anything about it. Timing and motivation are frequently brought about by personal crisis that is close to home and personal. Getting whooped in the head with a figurative 2 x 4, such as narrowly escaping death, or losing a job, or losing somebody close to them. Motivation and timing generally do not come together as a result of nagging, finger-pointing or educating the alcoholic on the evils of addiction. I knew I had a problem with drinking for 20 years, and said I could quit any time I wanted to, but the time was never quite right. If a drinker has admitted that they have a problem with alcohol and states that want to quit the next question to be asked to simply… now? If the timing is right we move onto the next piece of the puzzle.

3. Persistence – If the motivation and timing are in place and a drinker has actually stopped drinking and achieved abstinence, the question now is how they stay stopped drinking for the long run? The only solution is to keep abstinence and growing in sobriety the primary alcohol addiction recovery goal. The way that is done is through persistence. It’s crucial to keep a high level of daily awareness that no matter what twists of fate life has in store for us, returning to alcohol use is not a solution. The vast majority of people who have relapsed back into alcohol use have stated that sobriety lost its priority. They did not persistently maintain their awareness of their alcoholism; actively pursue relapse prevention, and life skills. Many people returned to drink because their life is going so well they forget they have a problem with alcohol and believe they can once again return to its use and control it.

There are many ways to look at alcoholism and recovery. There is no one definite view or methodology that has been proven to be more successful than another, so there are many theories and opinions out there. It is simply my experience as a professional working with people and alcohol addiction recovery that the confluence, or coming together, of motivation, correct timing, and persistence, are necessary pieces of the puzzle for long-term sobriety.

 

Glen Johnson: It's National Recovery Month

Filed under: alcohol addiction recovery

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Filed under: alcohol addiction recovery

Where alcohol abuse is concerned, for example, the military saw a 56% increase among those seeking treatment between 2003 and 2010. Data on other types of addiction is outdated, but in 2009 the VA noted that 19% of current conflict veterans who sought …
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Filed under: alcohol addiction recovery

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