Behavior Identification:
Alcohol consumption is not only a common thing but is also considered a social habit that sometimes goes out of control, becoming alcoholism or alcohol use disorder. There are over seven billion people in the world, and roughly a quarter of them consume an average of thirty-three grams of alcohol per day. Significantly, about 300 million people are afflicted with alcohol use disorder due to chronic, heavy drinking, commonly known as binge drinking (Alcohol-related death. (2023). The prevalent nature of this phenomenon shows that it needs to be tackled at a global level because alcohol is often general and even more widely abused than several illegal drugs.
Experiencing the Addictive Behaviors
Taking a journey towards behavioral change along with drinking brought about some deep feelings that involved recurrent cravings and occasional relapse. The attraction caused by alcohol, deeply embedded in the social and cultural settings, proved to be a real impediment to temperance and, eventually, even total abstinence. The many aspects and processes in dealing with addiction included interventions that ranged from personal commitment to societal support mechanisms. The resilience element in this context became peer support that formed a basis for understanding problems concerning alcoholic drinks (Roerecke et al., 2019). The influence of shared experiences within a supportive social network was demonstrated when peers provided empathy, encouragement, and coping. Peer support intervention was applied professionally and utilizing evidenced-based treatment approaches. The therapy would involve seeking counseling and attending support meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous, among other components of the intervention’s strategy (Stephenson et al., 2023). The interventions did not only address the current issues related to the consumption of alcohol, but they also explored the psychological and emotional aspects that resulted in addiction patterns. All these interventions emphasize the need for personalized therapeutic programs because addictions have multiple facets and comprise physiological, cognitive, and situational components.
Successes and failures along this journey through addictive behaviors gave me profound lessons to me. Unpacking the intricacies of addiction revealed the importance of perseverance, dedication to oneself, and being aware of personal danger signs. Each time there was a relapse, it was an opportunity to light on areas with need (Roerecke et al., 2019). From this journey, acquired experience shows that the recovery process from different behaviors is not linear; it has ups and downs and needs determination and multi–dimensional support.
Success or Failure
Changing alcohol consumption behavior is complicated and involves many issues at many stages, which determine success or failure. However, it depends on whether an individual can maintain positive changes throughout time. For me, success was reflected by continuous sobriety and markedly increased satisfaction with life. Some factors that led to this success include an individual’s determination in addition to various support systems and evidenced-based intervention. The key to success is acceptance of the problem and a genuine intention of what should be changed. The challenges of alcohol consumption included engaging in therapy, support groups, and healthy coping mechanisms. In addition, associating with others who had been through the same difficulties and provided a feeling of connection and understanding further reaffirmed the value of social networks in recovery.
Conversely, times of relapse signified instances of acknowledged defeat. Though these hindrances were discouraging and painful, they offered critical lessons on the intricacy of drug abuse. Understanding what precipitated these relapses and how behavior change could be better approached was necessary. Instead, relapses were treated as milestones of what could be improved upon. Moreover, this underscored the significance of being strong enough to take on adversities. These moments were acknowledged, with a pledge of reviewing and readjusting strategies to achieve the eventual success of the behavior-change process. Fundamentally, the change in alcohol consumption behavior is quite complex and full of successes and complications (Stephenson et al., 2023). However, success does not refer merely to abstinence for life. It includes persistent positive changes that lead to better health outcomes and continued development for good. Identifying the cyclical form of behavioral change empowers people to overcome obstacles through toughness, reflect on mistakes, and build on their previous efforts towards sustainably good outcomes.
Implications for Future Practice
This experience depicts the impact of such experiences with overcoming the consummation of alcohol on future practice in addiction counseling and intervention. Therefore, every individual’s struggle with addiction has to be unique; hence, the treatment should address the particular disease conditions and causes for each person’s drinking excessively (Roerecke et al., 2019). Practitioners should always conduct critical assessments to trace any triggers, other medical issues, and inherent characteristics that may form a foundation of client-specific remedies. In this case, social support is critical in the recovery process. Therefore, future practitioners should integrate proactive steps to involve and mobilize support groups for those individuals. This could encompass taking in family therapy, going to support group meetings, or simply interacting with the local people. However, this journey never occurs independently because it always happens in the broader context of society. An understanding of interpersonal dynamics will also support sustained recovery. This paves the way for future approaches to expectation management and resiliency since these are part of the path to recovery. Practitioners should suggest a few coping tactics to clients and clarify that it is normal for the transformation process to have some failures, as failure is not due to failure. Such reframing helps people see life as manageable, so the difficulties should be dealt with in an uplifted spirit, and assistance must be continued after the recovery. Lastly, the multifaceted nature of dealing with addiction has to be considered by professionals.
Reference
Alcohol-related death. Alcohol Rehab Guide. (2023, November 7). https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/resources/medical-conditions/alcohol-related-death/#:~:text=Alcohol%20poisoning%20is%20a%20major,ages%20of%2035%20and%2064.
Roerecke, M., Vafaei, A., Hasan, O. S., Chrystoja, B. R., Cruz, M., Lee, R., & Rehm, J. (2019). Alcohol consumption and risk of liver cirrhosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The American journal of gastroenterology, 114(10), 1574.
Stephenson, M., Lannoy, S., & Edwards, A. C. (2023). Shared genetic liability for alcohol consumption, alcohol problems, and suicide attempt: Evaluating the role of impulsivity. Translational psychiatry, 13(1), 87.
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