There are six stages that are involved in the process of change such as recovery from alcoholism. They include precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and relapse. These stages occur respectively. During the precontemplation stage, an individual knows about some of the negative effects of a particular behavior such as alcoholism. However, he/she is not willing to change and neither is considering taking any steps towards recovery. In the contempletation stage, the user is aware of the disadvantages and advantages of substance abuse. However, he/she is reluctant towards change. During preparation, a person has made the choice to change and he/she has begun making plans to help him/her recover. During action, the user begins implementing various behaviors towards recovery even though he/she lacks stability. The fifth step, maintenance, is achieved when a person is able to establish a positive behavior for a significant period of time. Lastly, relapse occurs when a person falls back to their previous behavior such as alcoholism and he/she has to reconsider about their next course of action (Center for Abuse Treatment, n.d).
Maintenance marks one of the most delicate stages in the process of change. In as much as the client has managed to sustain positive new behaviors, he/she is still prone to relapse. For instance, a person who was previously an alcoholic has avoided taking alcohol for the last three months. During this stage, the counselor is tasked with the responsibility of reassuring the client as well as reinforcing positive behaviors (Fiorentine &Hillhouse, 2000: Laudet, Savage & Mahmood, 2002). This can be achieved in a number of ways. Firstly, the counselor should be willing to help the client every time that he/she encounters a problem. For instance, the lines of communication such as emails and telephone should be provided to the client. This way, he/she can contact the counselor if need be. Secondly, the counselor can provide the client with alternative methods that can help him/her attain pleasure without necessarily using drugs or alcohol such as reinforcers. Thirdly, the counselor ought to recognize and appreciate the efforts that the client is making towards recovery by acknowledging them (Center for Abuse Treatment, n.d).This initiative is meant to motivate the client and reduce the chances of relapse.
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References
Center for Abuse Treatment. (n.d). A guide to substance abuse service for primary care clinicians. Retrieved from https://www.health.org
Fiorentina, R. & Hillhouse, M. (2000). Drug treatment and 12-step program participation: The addictive effects of the integrated recovery practices. Journal of the Substance Abuse Treatment , 18(1) ,65-74.
Laudet, A.,Savage,R. & Mahmood,D. (2002). Pathway to long-term recovery:A preliminary investigation. J Psychoactive Drugs , 34(3) , 305-311.
