An after-work beer with colleagues, a glass of wine in the bathtub to unwind, a strong nightcap after dinner – to digest, of course. Everything is just an exception, a small moment of enjoyment in the stressful everyday life. Until the small individual events become a habit, until you only work so that you can drink beer in the evening, until the bath becomes undrinkable without wine and the desire for a schnapps arises after every meal.
Alcohol consumption is part of our culture and is considered a social lubricant and luxury for special occasions. However, it is becoming a downfall for more and more people in Germany: almost eight million people in Germany consume alcohol in a form that poses a health risk, according to current data from the Federal Ministry of Health, and another nine million people have at least problematic levels of alcohol consumption. The trend is increasing, year after year.
The path to alcoholism is often smooth; many sufferers live with the addiction for years without realizing it. Changes in behavior and health – including sleep disorders, mood swings and social withdrawal – are often first noticed by relatives. For friends, partners, children or parents of addicts, this begins a balancing act between love, helplessness and self-care. It is not uncommon for relatives to slip into codependency and unintentionally support the sufferer in their addictive behavior through their behavior, while they lose sight of their own well-being.
Addiction often harms not only those affected, but also those around them. “I often experience great consternation and helplessness in the partners of addicted people,” says Andreas Jähne in an interview with stern. The specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy is the medical director of the Oberberg Rhein-Jura Specialist Clinic and has been dealing with addictions for years. He is certain: “Relatives are generally always affected too.”
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