Alcoholism can have a major, lasting impact on how your brain and body works, which causes changes that impact your emotional and physical well-beings and how you behave. Recovering from the affects of alcoholism is a challenge, one that can take many years to overcome. At the beginning of the road to recovery, it can seem impossible to escape the grip alcohol has over your life, but with time and dedication, even the most severe cases of alcoholism have a chance for recovery and a sober life.
Alcoholism involves a physical dependency on alcohol that can be one of the hardest things to overcome since it involves changes to the brain’s chemistry that leads to severe cravings when a person stops or drinks less alcohol. In cases of heavy alcohol abuse, this can lead to permanent neurological damage if the use is long term. If an alcoholic becomes sober and stays sober, over time, the cravings they experience for alcohol will gradually fade and become less intense, until they’re hardly a factor in recovery. When your body isn’t swimming in alcohol, your brain will have a chance to try to repair some of that neurological damage, which helps your cravings decrease faster.
The psychological triggers for alcohol cravings are another matter. They can create powerful cravings brought on by events or situations that provoke a recovery alcoholic. It’s common for these outside triggers, usually associated with strong memories or emotions from times of alcohol use, to linger over time, whereas the physical cravings may fade away. It’s important to learn ways to overcome not only those physical cravings, but the things you can’t control on your own, and it can be a continual struggle to resist the urge to drink.
Alcoholism is often a lifelong struggle that some may never fully recover from. It can have widespread, devastating life effects, including financial problems, ruined relationships and friendships, even serious accidents and health risks. The collateral damage linked to alcoholism can be high, and the struggle to overcome it can seem never ending. You must take responsibility for your own recovery, and recognize that each day without a drink is a victory. With healthy coping methods for the triggers and situations you can’t control, and patience and determination for the physical cravings, your recovery from alcoholism will be less of a struggle, and more of a journey.
At The Springboard Center, we know that you and your family need a treatment provider you can trust. Incorporating the best of practices we have created a meaningful program to restore health and dignity with quality care and counseling. Call us today for information on how we are serving the Permian Basin: (432) 620-0255
