Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive, and fatal disease. Although there is no absolute cure for alcoholism, we are able to recover from the hopeless state of body and mind that has resulted from the disease. Rather than a cure, we have recovery programs designed to maintain sobriety and remove symptoms of the disease. Alcoholism can be successfully treated through adherence to recovery programs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse explains that addiction and alcoholism cannot be cured, but “like other chronic diseases, addiction can be managed successfully. Treatment enables people to counteract addiction’s powerful disruptive effects on their brain and behavior and regain control of their lives.” Recovery programs, such as 12 Step fellowships, are designed to create an entire change in a person’s psyche that changes their motivations and behaviors. These changes, described as a “psychic change” or “spiritual experience” make up the force that counteracts the effects of addiction and alcoholism. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous explains, “We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.” This “daily reprieve” is what we do every day to be given one 24-hour block of time of sobriety—it is the following through each day of what we are suggested to do by our recovery program. Prayer, meditation, service to others, and giving up our self-will are all tools that we use to treat the disease of alcoholism. Some symptoms do go away entirely, however. We can be cured of our physical dependence to alcohol and drugs by going through a process of detoxifying our bodies, and our cravings and mental obsession with drugs and alcohol can be lifted. However, just because the symptoms go away, we are not cured. If we were to lose our spiritual fitness by letting up on our recovery program, we are likely to relapse. If we relapse, all the symptoms that had been removed from us will come back, often much worse and more intense than before. The Big Book states that, through our adherence to the program of recovery, “We will see that our new attitude toward liquor had been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality—safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us.”
Recovery can be the next great chapter of your story. You can make the decision to seek help for addiction and alcoholism and begin building a brighter future. Oceanfront Recovery, a treatment center in beautiful Laguna Beach, is staffed with experienced professionals who understand the disease of addiction and are dedicated to providing all the tools necessary to achieve and maintain sobriety. For more information, please call today: (877) 279-1777
