Sep 20 2008
A Three Pronged Attack Against Problem Drinking
When you are ready, truly prepared in your own mind to stop or reform your drinking behavior there is hope in treatment. Specifically, help is available for treating you physically, psychologically and spiritually. All three play an instrumental role in halting a slide into alcoholism which can be costly both in relationships and financial devastation as well as being potentially life threatening.
There is no cure for excessive drinking. You can take medications that make you sick when you consume alcohol which is much like smashing your hand with a hammer every time you use it to reach for a drink. Eventually you’ll either put down the hammer or use a straw to drink. Deciding that you want to quit for reasons that are unmistakable and showing a distinct desire to stop abusing alcohol are of the utmost importance for an establishing a firm foundation for recovery. You must commit yourself to the program in order for it to succeed.
When you enter any form of treatment without dedication to the plan of attack, you are wasting your time. If you are lucky enough to arrange for professional treatment you may as well write a check to the local animal shelter. You will also be giving false hope to those people counting on your recovery, your children and your spouse even perhaps your employer if you are lucky enough to have one who understands.
Physical Plan of Attack
Let us assume you have the will and desire to move forward with treatment. Physiologically your body has been through the mill so there will be some withdrawal to contend with. A physician can assist with this if necessary but part of the process of breaking the addictions back is surviving the compulsion to drink. Anti craving medications are available and can be prescribed by a professional who will monitor your progress and make adjustments as needed to find the best results for you.
These medications are extremely helpful in controlling the physical urge to drink and are really pretty safe for most who take them. Sometimes a combination of several drugs will be more effective so your clinician will do the fine tuning. So physically you are on track to fight your alcohol addiction fortified by the essential commitment you have made to do something about your drinking. Now you must work toward improving your judgment and cognitive ability and this will only happen with time.
Psychological Plan of Attack
As the alcohol clears your system and the compulsion or urge to drink begins to subside due to the anticraving medication, you can start to focus on your mental rehabilitation. You made a promise to change your drinking habits or abstain altogether, so to do this comfortable in the knowledge that your physical addiction is being attended to you must now turn your attention to your mental recovery.
Something has caused your drinking to accelerate and you need to discover what the reasons are and resolve these issues in order to have any prospects for complete and gratifying personal growth. In order to recognize your individual stressors, taking part in some professional consultative therapy will assist in determining the cause, effects and resolution of those factors that are responsible for your descent into alcoholism. In order to control your drinking or stop it altogether decisive action must be taken to identify why you drink excessively and therapy will define these reasons and give you the emotional capital to deal with them.
Spiritual Plan of Attack
Now that you are comfortably in control of your life, how do you know you want revert to old bad habits at the first sign of instability? Relapses are quite frequent with recovering alcoholics. In fact the odds are against you making it out of your first year without tasting alcohol once again. What a heart-rending turn of events after so much hard work and frequent promises of sobriety and new beginnings. What can be done to sustain your recovery long term and arm you with the tools needed to confront adversity with forethought and not alcohol?
Strategic long term planning to experience happiness and fulfillment with your life will give you a fighting chance with your lifelong battle against alcohol. Regardless of your religious beliefs your faith and spirituality will sustain you when you need it most. The core strategy of recovery should be returning you to a balanced life, once again being in harmony with the laws of the universe. Being able to maintain your focus on that which is important in your life and regaining control over your decision making ability. Reconnecting you with happiness, freedom and joy and disconnecting you from the resistance to achieve personal well being. This is same resistance that prevents one from truly committing to a life without alcohol.
This kind of renaissance requires the support of a professional life strategist. Someone that can clearly identify your plan of action for achieving the life you have always wanted. The focus should be on assisting the recovering alcoholic understand their energies, how to benefit from them and create the life they really want to live. That is a life with an overall healthy and prosperous outlook and no sign of alcohol to be found. You are now prepared to handle whatever life throws your way with dignity and determined focus.
A Desire to Do Something About Your Drinking Plus
Fighting Physical Addiction through Medication Plus
Combating Mental Addiction with Consultative Therapy Plus
A Spiritual Awakening to Achieve Personal Well Being
Equals
A Life Rehabilitated From Alcohol and Long Term Contentment
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