About Addiction Alternatives
Alcohol Addiction, Biology and Behaviors
According to the National Institute of Health an addiction to alcohol depends upon the effect alcohol has on one’s life: “Generally known as alcoholism and alcohol abuse, alcohol use disorders are medical conditions that doctors can diagnose when a patient’s drinking causes distress or harm.”
This is a pretty open-ended definition that we can expand by looking at a few physiological factors. Alcohol is quickly absorbed into the blood stream and, in the brain, saturates every cell and process. It causes the release of dopamine – a feel-good chemical that’s central to the pleasure people get from alcohol and other drugs such as cocaine and marijuana.
Some people can enjoy this chemical release on a casual basis. Others succumb to what is commonly called “alcoholism.” Researchers think this may be due to the chemical make up in the brains of some people who become addicted to alcohol. The receptor in their brains may be less sensitive to alcohol stimulation – causing individuals to have to drink more to get the desired sensation.
Of course, after 30 years as an addiction psychologist , I am well aware of that emotional and environmental factors play a significant role in serious alcohol addiction and drug dependencies. It is also in this arena that solutions are found and people are able to stop drinking and overcome addictions to drugs. I want to talk about a powerful non 12-Step strategy that I use to help people.
Behind the Addiction Alternatives Strategy
A method that leverages your natural ability to accept and manage behavioral change will best support your successful recovery from alcohol addiction.
Behavioral change does not happen in one step. This is especially true for addictive behavior. Lasting change in behavior happens when it follows a specific sequence. The steps in this sequence are articulated in a model known as the Stages of Change.
Successful alcohol addiction recovery mirrors a natural progression through this model. You move through these stages at your own rate. Behavioral changes will never last if a change is imposed on you before you arrive at the appropriate stage.
Here is what a progression through the Stages of Change model looks like when recovering from an alcohol addiction or drug dependency:
- Pre-contemplation – You are not yet ready to acknowledge that your behavior needs to be changed.
- Contemplation – You come to acknowledge the harmful consequences of your behavior, but are not ready or sure it is time for a change.
- Preparation/Determination – You marshal your internal resources to prepare yourself for change.
- Action/Willpower – You undertake new habits and begin to stop old ones.
- Maintenance – You make a conscious attempt to maintain your new habits and behaviors.
- Relapse – You relapse into your old routines, at least to some degree. It is not uncommon for you to cycle through the Action-Maintenance-Relapse stages a number of times. This is a cyclical and corrective process. A time to fine-tune your new changes to support your eventual recovery, not to be shamed by a group.
- Transcendence – The end result of this process is a new permanent place. Your old habits no longer feel a part of your life. To return to your old habits would feel foreign and strange.
I believe any addiction response program that does not address or acknowledge the Stages of Change is fighting basic human psychology. If a 12-Step program imposes abstinence when you are at the pre-contemplation or contemplation stage, there is a high chance you will fail.
Brief Interventions to Help You Stop Drinking
I work with my clients to help them stop drinking or taking dangerous drugs such as cocaine, using this proven approach. Through brief interventions, I help people take control of their lives and gain confidence that leads to sustainable change.
We start with a Recovery “Kick-Start” Session – an hour-long consultation that delves quickly and deeply into your alcohol addiction. We design a practical step-by-step sequence to plan your recovery. I provide you with additional tools that help you move through the Stages of Change and emerge alcohol and drug free.
An Invitation
I know you will have questions before you put your trust in me – I have walked many miles in your shoes. That’s why I invite you to spend 15 minutes with me on the phone. If you feel good about our brief interaction, we can schedule a Recovery “Kick-Start” Session to take you where you want to go.
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