If You Are A Problem Drinker, The First Thing You Need To Do Is Ask For Help

By Author: Sydney Retreat
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If you are a heavy drinker who thinks that someone or something will come into your life and render you capable of drinking without all of the harmful and embarrassing incidents, then you may be in denial.

A heavy drinker will continue to deny the obvious only to rediscover what they already know – that once they start to drink they can’t stop and in the process they have a personality change that compromises their values and standards of behaviour. In the light of what can happen when a problem drinker takes a drink, it’s a dangerous and unnecessary game to play. Especially when the knowledge and process of surrendering can occur without the risk associated with taking a drink.

There is a life after alcohol and drugs as difficult as that may be to comprehend. One of the main ingredients for a life without alcohol and drugs is connecting with people who have already recovered and have experienced what it takes to get sober. They have also experienced the thinking that contradicts their experiences as drinkers and found the truth to concede that they can’t do it alone.

Most drug and alcohol rehabilitation ...
... centres have high attrition rates because the medical model that they are based on has little or no time to address the reasons behind why a problem drinks and what they need to do to stay sober. People enter a rehab and leave with the false belief that if you stop drinking then the easy part is staying stopped. But as John Malone, CEO of The Sydney Retreat points out, the opposite is true.

“People go into rehab for a month or so, then they come out and for good reason or bad they pick up a drink and they’re off again.”

John Malone believes the 12 steps as pioneered by AA combined with ongoing education and connection with sober alcoholics and addicts is the best form of relapse prevention.

The model that the Sydney Retreat emulates (The Retreat in Minneapolis) has a success rate of 59%. After 12 months, 59% of people haven’t had a drink. That’s extraordinary – between 5 and 10% is quite common (for most alcohol and drug rehabilitation centres).”

When you stop drinking, the most important characteristic that you’ll need to stay stopped is consistency. Get a mentor or sponsor and have regular phone calls and meetings together. Keep attending 12 step recovery meetings and find a group that you feel comfortable enough to join.

Parts of your life may need to change. Removing yourself from environments that are not conducive to your recovery is fundamental and the same applies to relationships. If they are unproductive and threatening to your sobriety then they may need to end.

To achieve something that you have never achieved before, you are most likely going to have to do some things that you have never done before. The most important of these is to get into the habit of asking for help. The basic principle of recovery is one sober person sharing their experience with another sober person. To maintain that process you must be willing to ask for help and be available to provide help. It is a principle that works in good times and bad. For problem drinkers and drug users, nothing has ever worked as effectively.