Alcohol Recovery

Alcohol recovery is the goal of alcohol treatment programs and alcoholics. It can be a long and painful road. Alcohol addiction takes its toll on a person by claiming the family, lifestyle and body of the person with the addiction.

The sheer availability of the alcohol within a community can directly impact drinking rates.

 In many cities throughout the United States it is easier to buy alcohol in areas of poverty and high-crime than it is in affluent areas. Liquor stores tend to be licensed for operation more frequently in poorer areas. These are the same areas that tend to have a higher concentration of alcohol and drub abuse issues.

This can make recovery difficult. When alcoholics complete an alcohol rehabilitation center they tend to go back to their previous neighborhoods. While one certainly hopes that the individual suffering with alcohol addiction will be able to prevent relapse the prevalence of liquor and alcohol availability can make it more difficult for alcoholics to stay sober in some areas than in other areas.

Advertising of alcohol also can be a barrier to recovery. Advertising is designed to sell a particular product. Alcohol companies spend millions of dollars annually to push their product. Homes are bombarded with television commercials that are designed to make you want to try their product. Billboard advertisements beckon to us from the roadside. Magazine advertisements make sex sizzle with the addition of the right brand of alcohol.

Alcoholics are already more susceptible to the temptation of a drink of alcohol. The advertising sometimes hits its mark on people with alcohol addictions by hitting home. The advertisements do just exactly what they are designed to do, they make us want to buy their product.

Advertising can serve as a catalyst to encourage kids to drink. This can help lead to early-onset alcoholism in young adults. College students are often targeted as potential buyers. Indeed, alcohol is often a rampant and growing problem on college campuses throughout the country.

Even “dry campuses” have their wet spots. Official campus policy may forbid the use of alcohol. That does not mean that alcohol parties are uncommon. In fact, some studies suggest that banning the substance makes kids even more willing to go to extremes to get it.

Recovery from alcoholism is a long and difficult road. After the person with an alcohol addiction realizes that he or she has a problem the next thing is to start researching treatment options. Some options work better than others.

 Research is indicating that the best chance for alcohol recovery comes from a multi-disciplinary approach.

This treatment approach combines cognitive behavioral techniques with medical intervention and treatment. The other part of the approach is the utilization of traditional 12 step programs to provide support and reassurance to people who suffer from alcohol addiction.

Alcoholism is a disease. Not a character flaw. Treatment needs to be aimed at treating it as such. Once the addictive process of alcohol is fully understood by the alcoholic and family recovery can begin.