Alcohol Recovery
An alcoholic who has reached stage three of the twelve recognized stages of recovery from alcohol addiction will already have conquered some scary demons. Alcoholics who are perhaps suffering from elderly problems tend to feel a little pressured by this stage and start questioning the justice of having to face their addiction along with all the other elderly problems that feature old age.
The secret to success when tackling alcoholism, especially when the addiction is complicated by elderly problems, is focus and resolve; focus on the problems at hand and refusing to be de-railed by outside influences and the resolve to trust in one’s own ability to succeed. Strength is a key factor when trying to overcome addiction of any kind and an alcohol addiction is particularly unsympathetic to the human condition as it plays games with a person’s desire to be sociable.
An elderly alcoholic might have spent a lifetime in social situations where any evening spent without consuming a large quantity of alcohol is deemed a failure. Alcohol for baby boomers has always been a traditional staple for any social occasion, whether it is a beer with the boys or a champagne reception for visiting dignitaries.
So many pitfalls are present in the life of a recovering alcoholic; it is hardly surprising that many feel threatened on social occasions that must include watching other people drink while mustering the will power not to drink anything alcoholic. Even worse; many alcoholics are ‘pressured’ into drinking alcohol by well meaning hosts and hostesses who are unaware of their problem. It is an unfair minefield of temptation and one that is trodden daily in pursuit of addiction recovery.
There is definitely a spiritual aspect to recovering from addiction and particularly alcohol addiction. Being ‘only human’, many alcoholics turn successfully to spiritual support to help them through the most difficult stages of recovery. Some might have a church network of support and others might believe only in their own spiritual strength: most medical experts will profess neutrality and sensibly advise the addict: ‘whatever helps you kick the habit’.
During the forties, fifties and sixties (the baby boomer years) alcohol was held in almost reverent esteem. A man who ‘could not hold his drink’ was thought to be weak, prissy, almost feminine. A man with an alcohol addiction might even be viewed as more masculine than someone who abstained from drink for whatever reason. Nowadays, a refusal to drink alcohol is not unusual and is sometimes seen as a healthy attitude. The pressure once put on drinkers is not as prevalent.
Baby boomers, therefore, and even boomers with elderly problems, have been subject to this kind of warped attitude and need to not only change their lifestyle but also their entire concept of drinking alcohol. Turning around the habits formed over a lifetime is no small achievement and alcoholics with elderly problems might need spiritual help to guide them through a challenging recovery process.
Entrusting Your Life to Spirituality Trusting that You Will Succeed is part of Boomer Yearbook’s continuing series of baby boomers psychological coaching tips and how to alleviate elderly problems. We believe knowledge is power. We’d love to hear what you think.
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Tags: alcoholism, baby boomer, Elderly Problems, Psychological Articles