Alcoholism Affects the Entire Family

Alcoholism affects the entire family and not just the family member with the alcohol abuse problem. In reality, alcoholism affects everyone in the person’s life including their friends, their teachers, colleagues and supervisors on their job. Most people in the life of the chronic and excessive alcoholic will spend most of their emotions and energy trying to talk the individual into getting help.

Feelings of Desperation

We have all seen the television show “Intervention” where well meaning friends and family attempt to confront the chronic alcoholic and force them into getting help by going to detox and to rehab treatment. The emotions are raw and even the family is at the end of their ropes, unwilling to watch their loved one self destruct.

Making the Right Decision for Treatment

Fortunately, there are many options to getting help for an alcohol addiction and finding the right detox and rehab treatment center to meet the needs of you or your loved one is half the task. The important thing is making the decision to get the help that is needed for yourself and for your family. Your family will be there to encourage you and to support you as you go through the program. It is important that you choose a program that allows and encourages the support of loved ones and not deter their support or separate you from their support.

Alcohol Detox

Whether or not you need alcohol detox will depend on the amount of alcohol you have been using, how often you have been using alcohol and how long you have been using alcohol. If you are unsure about your need for detox, consult with your doctor. However, if you do need detox, most doctors recommend IV therapy medical detox because it allows the medication to be increased or decreased to meet the withdrawal symptoms which will allow you to be comfortable throughout the process.
12 Steps vs. Non 12 Steps

Traditional alcohol rehab programs such as 12 steps programs support the idea that alcohol addiction is a brain disease and that you inherited your alcohol addiction from your family through an alcoholic gene. They teach that you will never be able to defeat your alcohol use and that you will relapse. Their solution is treatment through belief in a higher power, abstinence and to participate in group meetings, which extend to family members as well.

Non 12 steps programs focus on holistic and educational approaches. For the most part, these programs do not promote alcohol abuse or addiction as a disease, but that it is a choice that you make to drink alcohol. Most non 12 steps programs teach that you can learn to make different choices and to form different habits and behaviors to support a lifestyle that does not include alcohol. There has been some research conducted as to which program is more successful; however the results indicate that 12 steps and CBT – cognitive behavioral therapy programs are equal in their ability to lead their members to a long term sober life.

Family Members are Included in Recovery

Family members are invited to attend open meetings and then there are 12 steps programs for families of alcohol users. These meetings encourage the family to recognize that their family member is diseased and to accept that they are powerless. Family members need to feel that they can support and encourage their loved one. For many individuals being constantly told that their loved one is hopeless could have a negative impact on the situation with nothing positive to gain.