“An illness of this sort –and we have come to believe it an illness –involves those about us in a way no other human sickness can. If a person has cancer all are sorry for him and no one is angry or hurt. But not so with the alcoholic illness. For with it there goes annihilation of all things worthwhile in life” – There is a solution pg. 17 Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Alcoholism is a disease not so easily understood by many; even an alcoholic might have a hard time grasping the true meaning. Often times it doesn’t just affect the alcoholic, but their loved ones suffer as well. This can make it hard for them to forgive an alcoholic or have empathy. It becomes a vicious cycle. The alcoholic harms or wrongs a loved one, forgets or gets over it, the loved one is still upset and resentful, and the alcoholic doesn’t understand why they are resentful or being mean, and then proceeds to harm them again in retaliation. This continues well into early recovery for some people, which is why support for families is so important when you are seeking addiction treatment. The alcoholic in the throes of their disease has a knack for assuming the victim role. It talks about this in the big book. It says…”we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate seemingly without provocation.” We don’t do this intentionally. After all, if we can’t love or care for ourselves how are supposed to love or care for our fellows? If we are unable to show up for life or trust ourselves how is it possible to show up for and trust others? It’s a disease that centers in the mind as much as it is a spiritual malady. The disease may be out of our control but the solution is not. There are several solutions available that can be found using drug rehab blogs. You can find rehabs that take insurance, check out California rehab centers, and discover AA meetings. When the alcoholic makes the decision to get help, the benefits are felt through the entire family.