The importance of groups in alcohol rehabilitation

In this article we will try to revise the main aspects involved in the alcohol rehabilitation for people who are or was alcoholic. Usually, we see that there are lots of therapy groups, several treatments offered to those who are affected by this terrible illness -of the ones that can kill-. people who are alcoholic are so dependant on the booze that they can take one, two, three bottles of , say, wine, in a day, just because they feel blue or mainly because they want to avoid difficult situations or because they had been passing through harsh pressure, either at work or at home.

It is often said that the very importance of an alcohol rehabilitation treatment relies on the intention of the ones who are alcoholic to recover from his or her disease, as they are prone to denial (it is usual to see people affected by alcoholism denying, saying that they only drink in special occasions).

But where does it lie the secret for alcohol rehabilitation? We should highlight that the main point is the group where the patient is situated. If the group is coherent, respectful, if everyone there is conscious of their disease, if they try not to deny it and recognize what they are passing through, it is an important feedback for each member of the group rehabilitation. From the point of view of Group psichology, we can say that each member is helped by the non-denial of the other members, by the recognition of their own situation, and by their intention to save themselves from this big monster that is alcohol dependance. Pressure at work, fights with their partners or wives or husbands, even quarrels at home with members of the family, kids, brothers, etc., are always possible factors of resorting to the booze as a solution to all problems. Every member of the group should be aware of the particular situation of the others, so that it is produced a feedback between every one, and by doing this, everyone is capable of giving an opinion, saying what they think of every situation, and give advice toward this direction. What is crucial is that everybody is prone and open to listening to this kind of advice and not resilient to critics or possible negative opinions. It has happened that many alcoholic people, due to their unhappy treatment -because they didn't find a good company, because they didn't like the group, because the one in charge of the group wasn't capable enough of dealing with a hard circumstance-, ended up killing themselves, intentionally or not. many times, death comes not as a result of suicidal tendences, but as a natural end from diseases from liver or hepatic illnesses that are mainly affected by excessive alcohol in the body.

Why do we focus the attention on the groups importance and not more on the person? Because the patient is always the vulnerable one. Every patient depends, for their proper treatment, on its pairs, on every other partner, as they rely on them. If they find a good group, then when they are at their own homes they will think it twice before drinking too much: they will not only be damaging themselves, they will also be disappointing every member of the group, including the group manager, the person in charge of leading the group and dealing with each personal problem. In this kind of groups, thought for alcohol rehabilitation, there are programs that are to be followed, topics to be talked about, and people specialized who are in charge of giving a guide and offering guidelines for how the group should be developing properly. Usually, the group therapy for alcohol rehabilitation is thought for a long time an with not too numerous groups , as a huge amount of people involved would be a problem.

So, how can we be sure that a group will work properly for people who need help resolving their problems with alcohol? How can we manage a certain amount of people, groups in which each member has specific problems, different things to deal with, both individually and in issues related to family members, for instance? Are there any guarantees for us in this? Is there a formula, a way in which we can know without doubt that nothing will fail? Well, there it plays a part the personality of every member. there are many styles of people: introverted, extroverted, shy, aggresive, violent, talkative, gregorian: every style has its pros and cons, and by this we mean that nothing can be said forewards. We have to wait for the particular circumstances to occur, and then we can give an opinion: in some groups, shy people can be positive, as they won't fight others very much. But sometimes, with an agressive person, some topics can be brought into light without problem, as they will not have issues to say hurtful truths. Anyway, this is the less important aspect. What we should know, for an alcohol rehabilitation program, is that groups are the most important point, so people in charge should be very professional, as they are the guidelines for the groups to be positive and useful.