The obsession with alcohol will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Dangerous alcohol for a person who has quit using, also at the physiological level. Even a small amount of it can cause damage to the liver and cardiovascular system. Depending on the situation, you might talk with a therapist, a sponsor, or to look for another form of support, like alcohol treatment or alcohol support groups. Alcohol use disorder can be mild, moderate, or severe, each category having its particular symptoms and side effects that can get worse if the condition is left untreated.
This topic is complex and often misunderstood, requiring a careful examination of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and the recovery process. Recovering from alcohol addiction is a lengthy process and doesn’t just stop after rehab. It requires full cooperation from the individual to maintain abstinence for as long as their intent is on living can an alcoholic ever drink again a life of sobriety.
Is it possible to drink again after an alcohol addiction?
- Discover valuable insights and support to aid in making informed decisions about your recovery journey.
- By having a solid relapse prevention plan recovering alcoholics can be proactive in their own defense so they are prepared for whatever life throws at them and don’t have to drink or experience withdrawal symptoms.
- In this blog post, we will try to give answers to these questions.
- Even in people who are not struggling with alcohol use disorder, drinking alcohol can affect other psychiatric conditions.
Using these nonalcoholic alternatives can be an act of freedom, a way to replace drinking with experiences that feed the body and soul. The idea that you can move from being alcohol-dependent to being a controlled drinker is a debated one and is largely discouraged by experts and support groups. Alcoholics Anonymous and most behavioral health professionals recommend a clear line – complete abstinence – because of the risks involved in even one drink. Relapse can have severe consequences, both physically and emotionally. It can undo the progress made during recovery, damage relationships, and even lead to life-threatening situations.
Health Anxiety: The Surprising Facts You Need to Know
- Alcohol “interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works.
- In most cases, these individuals feel that they have found a solution to their drinking problem that does not involve complete abstinence.
- This is because alcohol abuse alters your brain chemistry, making it difficult to control your drinking once you start.
- If a trigger is unavoidable, consider what you can do differently next time you face it.
This section explores the concept of controlled drinking, the arguments for and against it, and the factors that may influence its feasibility for individuals with a history of alcoholism. Alcoholism is often described in stages, from the initial phase of occasional binge drinking to the final stage of chronic alcohol dependence. Early stages may involve increased tolerance to alcohol and drinking for relief or comfort. As the disorder progresses, individuals may begin to prioritize drinking over other activities, leading to noticeable life problems or health issues directly related to alcohol use.
What Medications Are Used To Treat Alcohol Use Disorder?
The consequences aren’t just personal, they ripple out to relationships, careers and overall well-being. It’s a hard truth that highlights the importance of being vigilant and supported in sobriety. One of the best things about moderating your alcohol use is filling newfound time with fun hobbies and activities. By doing so, you may even identify triggers that cause you to drink—for example, certain social situations, stress from work, or even boredom. While the idea of abstaining completely may feel daunting, there’s a growing cultural shift toward mindful drinking, or not drinking. Younger generations are drinking less and non-alcoholic beverages are becoming more popular.
Alcoholism and Mental Health
If you went through rehab and after some time you started thinking about drinking in moderation, then you are in the first stage of relapse. The New Breath Recovery clinic will help you find the strength to give up alcohol completely and find joy in life without using psychoactive substances. When alcoholics drink again, the downsides outweigh any potential benefits by far. Catalina Behavioral Health offers substance abuse, dual diagnosis, and mental health services that can support you in what you’re going through. During the emotional relapse stage, you might not have conscious thoughts about drinking or using a substance.
For most people with a history of alcohol abuse, one drink is not advisable. While it may be easy to tell yourself you’ll just have one drink, even a small amount of alcohol can lead you back into the cycle of addiction. When you’re recovering from alcohol use disorder, a relapse is when you start drinking again. It’s not the same thing as a lapse, which is temporary and short-term — such as when you have one drink at a party, then go back to not drinking. As all these responses can attest, medication-assisted treatment is an effective alternative to traditional alcohol rehab for many people. If Alcoholics Anonymous, 12 step programs, and other mainstream methods haven’t worked for you, MAT may be the answer you’ve been looking for.
Can an Alcoholic Ever Drink Again? 5 Things to Know
Trying new hobbies, socializing without alcohol, and being vigilant to triggers strengthens your commitment to stay sober. If challenges arise professional help is available at South Shores to support you to overcome them and get back on the path to long-term sobriety. Some medications, like naltrexone and acamprosate, have shown promise in helping individuals reduce their alcohol consumption and maintain moderation. However, medication alone is not a solution, and it is crucial to combine medication with therapy and other support systems for optimal results. The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions from 2001 to 2002 concluded that abstinence and moderation are equally effective treatment options for alcoholics.
Seeking Treatment
Physically, a relapse can shock the body, which may no longer tolerate alcohol as it once did, leading to severe intoxication or alcohol poisoning. The risk to your health and relationships and the risk of addiction make it a worrying presence in anyone’s life. At its base, alcoholism means being out of control of your drinking. Recovered alcoholics drinking again is not news, it is just part of the statistics. According to various estimates, about 80% of those people who have gone to rehab drink alcohol in the first year after treatment, 90% in the first four years after rehab. Why is a person who used to abuse alcohol unable to control himself when drinking after treatment?
Tips to Help You Stay Sober
It is possible to say no to alcohol even if you are an alcoholic. That ability lowers along with your inhibitions with every drink you have. It takes tremendous effort and dedication to stop drinking if you are addicted to alcohol. If you feel that you are not coping with addiction and there is a feeling that you can easily go back to alcohol, seek help. What is shameful and dangerous to your health is a return to alcohol.
For many in recovery, the decision to remain alcohol-free is one of the most important and empowering choices they make. Rather than focusing on whether they can drink again, they shift their attention to maintaining their sobriety and enjoying the benefits of a life free from alcohol’s grip. At the end of four to six months of treatment with the Sinclair Method, 80% of people who had been overusing alcohol were drinking moderately or abstaining entirely. A 2024 report from the American Association for Cancer Research concluded that more than 5% of all cancers in the U.S. are attributable to alcohol use.
It can therefore be a good choice for long-term maintenance and relapse prevention. By preventing drinking from having any pleasurable effect, naltrexone effectively retrains your brain to crave alcohol less. As a result, many people who take the medication eventually lose interest in drinking. This makes moderate drinking possible for them—or even abstinence if they so choose. A professional setting provides a judgment-free space for recovering alcoholics to address the underlying issues that led to the relapse and work towards not having another one.
A weakened immune system also makes the individual more susceptible to various illnesses. When an individual in recovery from Alcohol Use Disorder attempts to drink again, a rapid return to previous problematic patterns often occurs. The re-emergence of both physical and psychological dependence is common, and subsequent withdrawal episodes can be more severe due to a phenomenon known as kindling. This effect means the brain becomes increasingly sensitive to the stress of withdrawal with each repeated cycle of drinking and stopping. People who have a history of addiction and alcohol abuse will need to stay sober and not return to drinking at any point. This is because AUD affects the brain, making it nearly impossible to drink normally again.
