Author: Alex Thompson
Alcoholism Recovery Stages: Six Steps to Beat Alcohol Addiction
The symptoms listed above may be a sign of a severe form of alcohol withdrawal called delirium tremens, or DTs. This rare, emergency condition causes dangerous changes in the way your brain regulates your circulation and breathing, so it’s important to get to the hospital right away. Once you’ve made the decision to change, the next step is establishing clear drinking goals. The more specific, realistic, and clear your goals, the better. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.
Alcohol treatment and recovery is a lifelong process that requires commitment and changes in many aspects of a person’s life. Challenges at this stage of treatment include cravings, social pressure to drink, and high-risk situations that can trigger alcohol consumption. It is during this early abstinence stage that your trained addiction counselor will begin to teach you the coping skills that you need to lead a sober lifestyle.
Support for Me and My Family
They’ll rediscover past hobbies and pleasant pastime or pick up new ones. Others will accept life without alcohol, but won’t pursue any other changes. Without the assistance of a qualified alcohol abuse counselor, these people will end up stuck in their old habits, without the alcohol that helped them cope. It is hard to see the benefits of not drinking in this case, and the person may struggle with relapse unless they become able to bring about some real change. For serious alcohol use disorder, you may need a stay at a residential treatment facility.
The Twelve Steps themselves are the essence of Alcoholics Anonymous. They are the directions meant to provide members a path to lasting sobriety and a substance-free lifestyle. John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
After approximately 90 days of continuous abstinence, you will move from the early abstinence stage of recovery to the third stage, maintaining abstinence. If you started in a residential treatment program, you will now move to the continuing or follow-up counseling phase of your rehab program on an outpatient basis. Many people with alcohol problems and their family members find that participating in support groups is an essential part of coping with the disease, preventing or dealing with relapses, and staying sober. Your health care provider or counselor can suggest a support group. Treatment for alcohol use disorder can vary, depending on your needs. Treatment may involve a brief intervention, individual or group counseling, an outpatient program, or a residential inpatient stay.
They may decide, for instance, that they’re going to seek treatment sometime in the next six months but won’t set a definite date. By the time people reach the contemplation stage, they’ve begun to recognize they have a drinking problem and may want to get help, but they’re often on the fence about it. At this stage, defense mechanisms are in high gear, and people are reluctant to even acknowledge they have a problem.
The Cycle of Recovery from Alcoholism
By admitting to at least one other person that you’re having a hard time with your sobriety in Step 1 of AA, you acknowledge that you are having difficulty maintaining control in regards to alcohol. That said, there are four general stages of recovery, as compiled by addiction expert Steven M. Melemis, MD. These stages can help prevent relapse and support people to live healthier, fuller lives. Approximately 15 percent of those who relapse regress to the precontemplation stage, and approximately 85 percent return to the contemplation stage before progressing to the preparation and action stages. Most people recovering from addiction will cycle through the stages of change three or four times before completing the cycle without a slip.
- At the preparation stage, alcoholics have decided to make a change, and they are planning to take meaningful steps toward recovery in the near future.
- Most people recovering from addiction will cycle through the stages of change three or four times before completing the cycle without a slip.
- It may include tasks such as speaking at an AA meeting, telling someone if you feel like drinking, working with a counselor, getting an AA sponsor, and/or telling someone if you do drink.
- This might include examining the sort of lifestyle changes they’ll need to make or researching types of treatment and treatment facilities.
Please donate today to help us save, support, and change lives. The person with the drinking problem needs to take responsibility for their actions. Don’t lie or cover things up to protect someone from the consequences of their drinking. Consider staging a family meeting or an intervention, but don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation.
Press Play for Advice On Finding Help for Alcohol Addiction
Most residential treatment programs include individual and group therapy, support groups, educational lectures, family involvement, and activity therapy. While getting sober is an important first step, it is only the beginning of your recovery from alcohol addiction or heavy drinking. Rehab or professional treatment can get you started on the road to recovery, but to stay alcohol-free for the long term, you’ll need to build a new, meaningful life where drinking no longer has a place. When evaluating the patient, doctors will carry out blood tests and other tests to assess the type and extent of damage, which alcohol addiction has inflicted.
Setting Healthy Boundaries in Relationships
Most people with alcohol problems do not decide to make a big change out of the blue or transform their drinking habits overnight. Even after admitting you have a drinking problem, you may make excuses and drag your feet. It’s important to acknowledge your ambivalence about stopping drinking. If you’re not sure if you’re ready to change or you’re struggling with the decision, it can help to think about the costs and benefits of each choice.
Coping with alcohol withdrawal symptoms safely
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms usually start within hours after you stop drinking, peak in a day or two, and improve within five days. But in some alcoholics, withdrawal is not just unpleasant—it can be life threatening. Just as the 12 steps outline the path to recovery for individuals struggling with addiction, there are also 12 Traditions that are the spiritual principles behind the 12 steps.
The tools that you learn to use now will help you throughout your recovery. It is recommended that alcohol abuse recovery take place at an inpatient facility in more serious cases. Whatever the choice of treatment, some patients will embrace their new lives after being done with drinking.
Offer your support along each step of the recovery journey. When you’re craving alcohol, there’s a tendency to remember the positive effects of drinking and forget the negatives. Remind yourself of the adverse long-term effects of heavy drinking and how it won’t really make you feel better, even in the short term. Keep a record of your drinking to help you reach your goal.