Author: Alex Thompson

Your Guide to the Stages of Alcohol Recovery

If Stage Three is about committing the mind to recovery, Stage Four is about committing the body. These people should be prepared to seek medical help if the person in detox begins experiencing symptoms of delirium tremens, which include seizures, hallucinations or confusion. These stages were developed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as a resource on individual drug counseling for healthcare providers, but it is also a useful model for recovery from alcohol addiction. 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.

Dr. Okhifun is a passionate medical doctor, with over five years’ experience as a general practitioner. His passion for medical education led to his journey in medical writing. He also serves as medical coordinator and content writer for Gerocare Solutions, for which he also volunteers as a health advisor/consultant for the elderly.Dr. The number one expert recommendation for making progress in recovery is to consistently engage with a treatment program and recovery community. Following your treatment plan and seeking ongoing accountability and encouragement from your support network can help you build upon your progress and stay motivated. Maintaining these commitments makes you more likely to achieve your goals.

The 12 Steps

Whether you seek help voluntarily or are forced by circumstances to enter rehab, your recovery process will begin with a professional treatment program. When you reach out for help from a professional alcohol and drug rehab program, you begin the first stage of your recovery, treatment initiation. The Initiation stage is comprised of two sub-stages, the above-described questioning stage and the stage of early abstinence. It can be hard to cope with because of temptations, physical cravings for alcohol, continued withdrawal symptoms, and psychological dependence. Your Care Team wants you to succeed, and is dedicated to supporting you in making the best decisions for yourself. As human beings, we are constantly undergoing changes, so our goals and alcohol recovery timeline will too.

Some people who achieve long-term sobriety continue to display the same impulsive and dysfunctional behaviors that they did when they were drinking. Because dry drunks have a high risk of relapse, they are not in the termination phase. Many in the addiction arena, however, argue that alcohol addiction is a chronic disease that never completely goes away. They believe that the risk of relapse always remains and that the disease requires lifelong treatment. Contemplation can be an uncomfortable process, and feelings of guilt, shame, hopelessness and desperation are common as people reach this crossroads in their addiction journey. During this stage, people are experiencing the negative impacts of their alcohol addiction, but they have no intention of changing their behavior.

There’s more to getting and staying clean than just not drinking – it’s about attaining a satisfactory quality of life. 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. The person may be given medicine to alleviate withdrawal symptoms and asked to go on a special diet to fight malnutrition.

What Are the 12 Steps of Recovery?

There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. 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).

1. With a Care Team dedicated to you, your alcohol recovery timeline will begin to crystalize as you learn more about yourself and undergo enriching changes.
2. While the recovery period may be challenging, it’s also filled with milestones that can transform your life into one that’s better than you could have previously imagined.
3. A very high rate of alcohol abuse occurs among people who have survived sexual or physical abuse.
4. Recovery from alcohol addiction generally follows the stages of abstinence, withdrawal, repair, and growth.
5. While you might feel the urge to turn to alcohol in those moments of discomfort, you can get through them without drinking.

Both acute and post-acute withdrawal can be addressed safely with the right care. It’s important to connect with a physician to discuss the best path forward for you. For many, the action stage is both physically and mentally taxing — and individuals at this stage face a risk of alcohol relapse. The action stage typically lasts from three to six months and sometimes as long as 18 months, but it does not mark the end of the recovery process. During treatment, some people will embrace the new, healthy habits they’re learning.

Stages of Healing: How to Recover From Alcoholism

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. The tools that you learn to use now will help you throughout your recovery.

This deeper insight makes them better equipped to try again, and this time succeed. Religious or non-religious alcohol support groups can offer some much-needed assistance to affirm one’s resolve to quit drinking for good. Second, savor the positive emotions and know that with the right treatment, dedication, and self-care, you will find a sustainable path complete with authentic joy. Creating a sustainable new lifestyle without or with less alcohol requires navigating both highs and lows. Growth happens in discomfort, and it’s important to recognize challenging moments as learning opportunities.

Stage 6: Termination

While the abstinence stage of withdrawal causes mostly physical symptoms, post-acute withdrawal is very psychological and emotional. If you’re ready to make a positive change, here’s what you may want to know about the recovery process. While participating in the 12 steps of recovery can be beneficial for many people, consider the advantages and disadvantages of these programs before you decide if this approach is right for you.

Although they are still drinking, they’ve likely begun telling friends and family members about their plan to change their behavior — but they may still feel some ambivalence about their choice. 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. Engaging in subtle and sympathetic conversations and getting alcoholics to explore the pros and cons of their own behavior, for example, can help to lay the groundwork for the second stage of recovery.

Not to mention, the lasting health benefits to the immune system, liver, blood pressure, mental health and much more. As treatment progresses, the focus will turn from learning about the sober life to practicing recovery techniques and healthy coping strategies every day. A person in this stage will be discovering freedoms in their new life that they may have never thought they could experience. They’ll likely still feel the temptation to drink, but they’ll be focused on their goal. After all, alcohol recovery isn’t about abstaining from a substance — it’s about changing your whole life.

While the process may take several years, the outcome is a happier, healthier life where you have the freedom to fulfill your full potential. The challenge of this stage is to essentially develop and maintain healthy life skills that will serve you for a lifetime. An exciting part of this period is that it can lead you to a happier life full of welcomed change and constant improvement. Your body has acclimated to quitting drinking over the past couple of years.