Can alcoholics ever truly recover?

Question

My boyfriend is 25 and he is half Mexican/half Navajo. He has been a heavy drinker since I met him 6 years ago and I'm sure even before that. He is currently in jail for his last DUI charges and he is saying that he does not want to continue on the same path. He wants to quit drinking and get on with our lives. Is this possible? Is there a way that he can just stop even though his body has become so dependent on it? He will be in jail for about 6 months max without any alcohol, so by the time he gets out his withdrawal period should be over. I am just worried that when he comes home and gets back into daily life he may fall back into his old habits. By the way, I do not drink and do not allow any alcohol on my home.

Answer 1

i was a heavy drinker for about 9 years and drank everyday. i slowed down a few years ago and now i can have a few hear and there but now i only drink on my days off which is one day a week. the days i do work i drink camamille tea to help me knock out

Answer 2

His body may not need alcohol but his mind does ... when he gets out , if he really wants to stay sober , he MUST see a therapist and maybe try AA ... getting sober is only a piece of the puzzle ... learning to LIVE SOBER through behavioral therapy is also NECESSARY. And he must have a true desire to follow this through . Sobriety is a life style which can be attained through hard work . And an alcoholic is always an alcoholic... His choice is to become a DRY alcoholic or to stay an active one.   GOOD LUCK !!

Answer 3

It all depends on him. Has he truly had enough? Only he knows the answer to that question. When an addict hits their rock bottom, what they don't see in the beginning is that rock bottom is not about what you've lost or who you've lost because of your addiction. Rather, rock bottom comes from within ones heart and soul when they say to themselves that they truly can't go on the way they have been-that if they don't get help, they really will die. Just be there to support him. If he should fall again, don't enable him, but know that its natural and part of recovery. He just needs to be the one to make that descision to keep getting back on that horse if he falls off.

He needs to get involved with AA. Many people are very scheptical of the program but if you think about it, how many millions are truly being helped and finding a better life for themselves because of AA. Where else would people tell a drunk to keep coming back and stretch out their hand to someone who is destroying themselves and everyone around them? Sure, its a scary thought to be "one of" or take the first step in going, but what is there to lose but an hour if its not for them.

There is no cure for alcoholism, but life can absolutely become worth living and manageable if one is willing to work at it.

He hasn't been living-he's been surviving up to this point. When he gets out, you two need to get him help immediately because without a foundation, his sobriety won't last long.

Best of luck :)

Answer 4

He should start AA or something like it as soon as he's out, and consider getting a counselor.  Maybe he can arrange something thru jail.  They might have programs for after release???  The other thing the two of you may want to seriously consider is moving away from the environment where he's been drinking - new friends, new places, distance from family, whatever he associates with drinking.  That might make it easier for him to get thru the first few years.

Answer 5

I believe it is possible to recover, as long as one is prepared to fight the lifelong temptation.  

Answer 6

He'll probably have to go to AA meetings and/or talk to a alcohol counselor. It's hard to do it alone, I tried and failed until I got help.