Many alcoholics and addicts can get clean and sober if they are determined and have will power. Most of them are pretty strong willed. It is a fallacy that alcoholics and addicts are weak people. They are usually quite the opposite. So why do people relapse?
Why having willpower is not enough
However, using willpower is not usually a good way to achieve a lasting recovery. The issues that lead us to drink or use mood altering substances will still be present. If they have not been dealt with, they will rear their head again. And the inevitable drinking and using will result – until the next ‘rock bottom’ and determination to get clean and sober. And so it goes on.
Our drinking and using will continue to resurface and disrupt our lives. Until we address the reasons we need to blur reality and use alcohol or drugs. We will have been using them to cope with daily life and its stress and anxiety. And we will need to explore why this has been necessary for us when others cope without. We need to get the tools to cope with life clean and sober. So until all this has been dealt with and learned, we will continue to relapse. And upset and hurt not only ourselves but the people we love.
Making the difficult decision
Eventually we may come to the conclusion that this stop start lifestyle of drinking or using cannot continue and that we need to go to rehab. This is a difficult decision – to commit to giving up for ever, but it is one that our families at least are likely to welcome and pin their future hopes on. So we will go through the 28 days plus rehab programme, learn all about our illness and why we have been drinking and using as we have, and get the tools for living our lives permanently clean and sober. We will come out of rehab renewed and full of hope that we have finally beaten our drinking or using addiction.
Why then do so many people who have been to rehab, relapse and drink or use again? Does it not work?
Recovery is a continuous process
The answer is that it does work and it is the most successful way to conquer addiction. However, it is not a fix in itself and after attending rehab, the addict needs to continue to work on his or her recovery for the rest of his or her life. It is like having a kidney problem that requires daily dialysis. Daily treatment is required.
This will include following a 12 Step Programme if you have attended a 12 Step Treatment Centre. It will involve getting a sponsor and working your programme each day. Which will include attending fellowship meetings (not necessarily every day, though this might be recommended to start with) – and doing a daily written inventory. It will involve helping fellow addicts and spreading the recovery message. It will also probably involve keeping in touch with the support offered by the rehab clinic, at least in the early days, weeks and months.
Rarely do people relapse who have dealt with all the personal issues they needed to in addiction rehab and who follow this advice and work their programme whole heartedly.