Alcohol Recovery Is Not A Solitary Exercise
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anonymous Asks ...
I am 2 months sober. I am doing it on my own and it is working Ok for me. The problem I have is that it does not seem to be getting any easier. Every night I am on the edge of going and buying a bottle and every night I have to fight it. How long does it take before I won’t have to fight so hard not to drink every night? I am willing to keep fighting but I would like to know that it is going to get easier at some point.
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Dr. James Strawbridge Says ...
First of all, alcoholism is a serious and potentially fatal illness. The first step in the recovery process and by far the most comprehensive is that you admit you have a problem and develop the desire for sobriety as much as the desire for the next drink.
The most serious alcoholics are those who have become physically and psychologically dependent on alcohol, usually with grave damage in more than one of the life areas: physical health, emotional well being, interpersonal relation, and social and vocational functioning. Often the damage extends to all of these areas. In lay terms, they suffer advanced alcoholism. For those, the achievement and maintenance of sobriety is first and always the primary treatment goal: abstinence from alcohol is the alpha and omega of treatment with the gamma alcoholic. A certain number of gamma alcoholics will be able to achieve stable sobriety, either by their on efforts or, more usually, through some combination of professional treatment and AA participation. Those who reach stable sobriety are referred to as recovering alcoholics, said another way: their alcoholism is in remission.
Some recovering alcoholics reach a stable, more or less satisfying adjustment without formal help, many others find that the AA program and other self-help groups meet their emotional needs. However, many recovering alcoholics do turn to psychotherapists for additional help, Often they find AA's fellowship extremely important because they find they can not recover by themselves. The rooms of AA are full of those who tried to gain sobriety by themselves without success.
The emotional pain of attaining sobriety alone can be discouraging. It is not advisable. Working with an empathetic psychotherapist and involvement in AA supports is advised.
