Improving Alcoholic Behavior - Essay Example

Sur Lecturer Improving Alcoholic Behavior Introduction The issue as to whether alcoholic behavior needs to be improved is a matterof debate entangled in morality. According to Peter Miller, the author of "Biological Research on Addiction," says those people who have lived or are living with active alcoholics find that they have been extremely affected by this social problem (128). One side of the debate asserts that the impediments to relieving frustration and pressure that alcoholics experience can be caused by their own choices and actions such as living in complete denial and fear, having unexpected expectation, covering up the problem and living in the past. As such they must be in the fore front in improving the behavior. Another side of the debate asserts that it is worth making the hard choices so as to improve the alcoholic behavior since it has a huge impact on the moral fiber and socialization process in every society. With each side of the debate in mind, the compromise is that by adjusting our approach and our attitude toward the alcoholics (through accepting the hard lines taken by friends and families as an attempt to improve the alcoholic behavior) alcoholism will no longer dominate our thoughts and lives. Side A of the Argument Several factors are in the forefront and impede the desire to improve alcoholic behaviors. Victims of alcoholism often experience different levels of unwillingness and denial to change their destiny. The impediments manifest themselves in the following ways: Complete Denial – Miller says if we are in complete denial of our alcoholic behavior, then there is less that we can do apart from focusing on our own actions and behaviors. At times, friends and family members are not doing the best in this case by communicating their boundaries with the alcoholics and let them know that they would not be bailed out of any jams. Though formal intervention is improbable to give an immediate change, it may be the start to letting the victims of alcoholic addiction know how much every person cares for them. Fear of losing my drinking friends – This has always been something which holds alcoholics back when so close to initiating a life changing decision. Though several factors bond alcoholics together, drinking is, and we must admit, the cornerstone of their friendship and let it go will simply mean they let the friendship fade off. This is always the dilemma and it at times causes them to drink more just to evade the thought of it. Covering It Up – it is fatal for the victims to assume that they do not have a serious problem and naturally wishes that nobody realizes the level of their alcohol use for the fear that if the person discovers the full level of the problem, the “intruder” might try cutting short their “enjoyment.” Most families also think they are trying to "help" alcoholics by covering up for their drinking behavior and making excuses on their behalf. Instead, they are playing to the tune of alcoholic`s denial game. Having Unreasonable Expectations – another problem encountered when trying to improve the alcoholic behavior is that families and friends seem to set “reasonable” expectation, which to any other alcoholic might be completely unreasonable. At times alcoholics swear to themselves that they will never take another sip, and friends and family naturally expect that they are sincere and that they would not drink again. But with most alcoholic behaviors, that expectation becomes unreasonable. Barbara McCrady and Elizabeth Epstein, the authors of “Addictions: A Comprehensive Guidebook,” assert that it is unreasonable to believe someone will be truthful with you when that person is unable to even be honest with herself or herself (82). Living in the Past – McCrady and Epstein says the key to managing alcoholism in a family is remaining focused on the state of affairs as it is right now (63). Alcoholism is gradual disease that does not hit a certain level and stay there for so long; it keeps getting worse until the victim seeks help. As such, whereas one should not focus on previous disappointments and mistakes, which led him or her to abuse alcohol, such as peer pressure, teenagers still find themselves giving in to their past mistakes. Side B of the argument It is always argued that people need to change their alcoholic behavior since becoming so dependent on alcohol may erode your morals without you realizing it. McCrady and Epstein say that the way alcohol unintentionally transforms our morals. It seems to find a way of entering into our soul and press the button of insanity, foolishness, and malignant spirits. Crimes or outrages may be easily committed when one is under its influence and shock or shame always follows the perpetrators as soon as the excitement of alcoholism has passed away. The immoralists see the alcoholic as lacking morals.   They also describe the behavior as “sinful” or at times use the word “moral weaklings” when referring to alcoholics. However, moralists separate morality from alcoholism while giving the evidence of the disease concept. The moralist asserts an alcoholic is not a bad individual trying to be good, but rather a sick individual trying to feel well. Perhaps they are right. Miller claims morality is a tough subject to handle in any context. The issues of wrong and right, guilt and shame arises in nearly every individual or group counseling session. The helplessness, powerlessness, and angry feelings that alcoholic experiences after drinking are always linked to the basic moral. The understanding of moral fiber and alcoholism is critical to effective understanding of Christian society. If the society blames the alcoholic or even develops a culture of blame, the person often does not connect well with the society and socialization will be stuck. Alcoholics are always confused when they seek treatment full of shame, guilt and remorse. The society needs to encourage them by telling them they are not to blame for their alcoholism. If the alcoholic seeks treatment, the tag “bad guy” will somewhere in course of treatment turns “the good guy”. The Compromise Family and friends need to full understand alcohol addiction so as to effectively help alcoholics with their problems. This is a reasonable and very essential first step. Before they can learn how to effectively help one struggle with his or her alcoholism, they should review various models of addiction which attempt to explain why it affects individuals and what it is. Most people have learnt of the disease model that does decent job of illustrating what we witness in real world. To be specific, even alcoholics or addicts who have kept clean sheet for several years can slip back or go back to their old habits of consumption in a couple of days. Also they should note that addiction may affect theoretically anyone, including people with: no clear genetic predisposition for alcoholism or addiction; with very minimal environmental risk; or with no moral laziness or shortcomings about them. Even if they do not have faith in disease model, exploring more concerning how it works may be necessary in learning how to potentially assist a struggling alcoholic or addict. Friends and family should also create boundaries and set some limits between them and the alcoholics. One example of such boundaries is close friends stressing that they prefer their alcoholic friends not to be around them if they are drunk or high (Monti, 39). This strategy is specific as alcoholics have to accept it if at all they still want to keep their close friends who do not drink. Even though setting a boundary such as this is difficult, there is this trend that it works well with helping people who struggle with alcoholism. Moreover, setting boundaries concerns integrating your personal well-being with others, and letting it be a guiding plan of how to harmoniously live with people. Alcoholics need to accept the setting of effective boundaries while taking back control of their own life and beginning to regain their own sanity, as an alternative to being all swathed up in the struggle of fighting alcoholism. Family and friends must keep this crucial distance when exploring ways to help the alcoholic recover from alcoholism. Closest friends and relatives should also confront the behavior of alcoholic more strongly. They should more often and more casually approach the alcoholic and talk to him or her about the chance of getting assistance as an example of the informal intervention. This may not appear like a very beneficial option as opposed to some more formal and well organized intervention, but nevertheless it might be very effective. Miller says that according to known life experience with alcohol, most alcoholic finally opted to seek assistance and therefore changed their entire life. Normally, it is after a simple conversation with friends and family member. Timing is everything and the sooner alcoholics fully decide to be helped the better for them. Before, a formal intervention used to fail, simply because alcoholics seek help when they are not always ready to initiate change at that time. However, a key conversation needs to happen at the right moment so as to set in motion a sequence of life changing actions for alcoholic. Alcoholics` sympathizers do not necessarily need to pester them incessantly until they get clean and sober so as to start the informal intervention, but they should know that helping an alcoholic is never that easy. Nonetheless, they should never lose hope on them, and they should have a constant message for the alcoholics without badgering them. They should assure the victims that help is always available when they need it. Conclusion Even though there are several hindering factors in the desire to improve alcoholic behaviors, such as the frustration and pressure that alcoholics experience, there also exist certain motivating factors and desires to improve the behavior in equal measures. From the debate, it is evident that some of the impediments to improve the alcoholic behavior are caused by the victims` own choices and actions such as living in complete denial and fear, having unexpected expectation, covering up the problem and living in the past. As such, they must be in the fore front in improving their behavior. On the other side of the argument, the motivating factor as to why alcoholic behavior needs improvement is that it has a huge impact on our moral fiber and socialization process. With both sides of the debate in mind, the compromise was that by adjusting our approach and our attitude toward the alcoholic problem - through accepting the hard lines taken by friends and family as an attempt to improve alcoholic behavior – alcoholism will no longer be a moral issue. Work Cited McCrady, Barbara S, and Elizabeth E. Epstein. Addictions: A Comprehensive Guidebook. , 2013. Print. Monti, Peter. Adolescents, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse: Reaching Teens Through Brief Interventions. New York: Guilford Publications, 2012. Print. Miller, Peter M. Biological Research on Addiction. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2013. Internet resource. Read More