Alcoholism in the family is a phenomenon that has been present in our society for a long time. Because of alcoholism, families break up, divorce occurs, jobs and income are lost, health deteriorates … The consequences of alcoholism are numerous and long-lasting.
How does alcoholism in the family occur?
A significant factor is growing up with a parent who tends to drink. When children are young, they cannot critically evaluate whether some behavior is good or bad. They can only take it in, and when they grow up, they will behave in a similar way. For children, what the parent says is not what matters, but what the parent does.
In our society, there is a so-called “casual drinking”. People drink on good and bad occasions, at work, when they go out, when visiting someone, at home… On the other side, the socioeconomic crisis and its consequences, such as poverty and unemployment, are further influencing people to turn to drinking.
Another dangerous thing about alcohol is that it is a legal substance, it can be obtained in practically every store. It is socially acceptable to drink, and alcoholism is still not considered a disease.
People start drinking for a variety of reasons: to relax with friends, forget about their problems, handle difficult situations easier…
Young people and alcoholism in the family
Young people are a particularly sensitive group when it comes to alcoholism, and everything starts at that age. The first encounter with alcohol and drinking usually occurs when people go out at night. Clubs and taverns are places where the majority of young people visit, and where alcohol is constantly consumed. Young men usually want to prove themselves around their friends, and often compete in a drink off and drink until they pass out. The fact is that young people are in the process of building up their own personalities and do not have a well-built value system, hence everything is allowed. The point is to be accepted among people, popular, even if it means to get drunk every night. Young people often drink to forget the love problems they have in a critical adolescent period, and with which they do not know how to deal otherwise. Under the influence of alcohol, young people relax and freely approach each other: alcohol has become a means of communication.
A special problem occurs when a person enters the adult age, starts his family and retains old drinking habits, not understanding the responsibility that the family life carries. Alcoholism in the family prevents the development of children, psychophysical care and investment in their future. Because of this, the family is most affected. Alcohol is always an enemy of the family and always disturbs the relationships within it. Alcoholism in the family leads to poverty, illness, divorce, as well as violence, aggressive and criminal behavior, and sometimes unfortunately also to suicide.
How to cure alcoholism in the family?
First of all, we need to bear in mind that this is a severe and chronic disease, and that temptations are everywhere. The alcohol addict most often has either no motivation to seek treatment at all or it is minimal. That is why the family is there to support the addict. The role of the family in the treatment is very significant. A family whose member is an alcohol addict is often dysfunctional because alcoholism not only destroys the person, but it also destroys the family. During the treatment, the family itself needs to become functional again. The support of the family is very important, so that the addict would not turn to alcohol again.
For many years, our VIP Vorobjev clinic has been successfully combating alcoholism in the family. Our process of treating alcoholism consists of 5 stages:
- diagnostics, which involves an assessment of physical health, and psychodiagnostics, an expert opinion on the psychic state of the patient;
- detoxification, cleansing the body of alcohol;
- treatment of cravings for alcohol, a negative attitude towards alcohol is being built at this stage;
- blockade of alcohol escalation – causing extremely unpleasant consequences in the case of alcohol consumption;
- maintenance of results after therapy – maintaining contact with the patient and his family for at least a year, taking prescribed therapy, changing lifestyle, mandatory follow-ups…
We firmly believe that you can regain control over your life with our help. Our professional staff invests everyday efforts to support the recovery of patients and provide them with the necessary care and comfort. We are aware that the treatment of alcoholism is challenging, but our experience tells us that it is not impossible.
