Addiction And A Healthy Life

It's important to look behind the scenes a bit, when you're dealing with substance abuse or addictive behaviors. Asking "why" a person is drinking, or using, or acting out in other ways is necessary in order to get a more accurate read on what the "real" issues are. For example, is a person drinking excessively because they're grieving, because they're depressed, because they're anxious, or in order to cope with other difficult and challenging feelings? Is there trauma behind the scenes that has never been resolved? If so, is there Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

The most well known view, these days, of addiction, is that it's a disease, like diabetes say, and that it can be treated, or managed, if never cured. This view has a lot to recommend it, and can be useful in working with and understanding addictions. I won't presume to know whether it is the definitive approach or not. So, if you're an alcoholic, you'd probably be best off if you just didn't drink at all. Avoiding alcohol provides the groundwork for avoiding the stimulus that will trigger all kinds of dangerous, and potentially fatal effects.

We also know though, that "just" avoiding alcohol, while it might very well improve a miserable situation, often isn't enough to stimulate other, perhaps equally important changes in a person's life situation. The term "dry drunk" is used to describe an alcoholic who isn't drinking, but who still behaves as badly as when he was, or thinks just as inaccurately, or who conducts his relationships just as poorly as before, and who has never done any of the important psychological work necessary to address the background issues behind her addiction. While there is clearly an improvement is some sense, much of what still goes on, especially in relationships, hasn't improved much at all.

If staying alive is the only goal, then avoiding alcohol, in this case, might be enough. But if a healthy life is a goal as well, then clearly this step alone will not suffice.



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