Canadian Addiction Rehab A To Z On Alcohol Counseling | Page 7

T H E R E L ATI ON B E T W E EN AL COH OL
ADDI CT I ON COUNSE LLING AND
ME NTAL H E ALT H R E FOR M
• While the two may be for different purposes, the fact of the matter is that they are
both interconnected, especially if the sufferer of the addiction is also a sufferer of
mental illness. This is intensified if the person suffers from an addiction because they
have a mental illness. In this case, the counselor has to tackle the root cause of the
issue first, before they can get to the damaging act that results from the issue.
• The counselor has to first determine why the person is taking up alcohol
consumption. Here, the counselor, preferably a professional, also has to determine
which type of mental illness is driving the person to seek refuge with alcohol.
• It could be that the alcoholic has chronic depression, which they counter with
alcohol. The individual may be suffering from crippling anxiety, which could very easily
turn them towards alcohol consumption, since alcohol is known to remove all
inhibitions. And, most disturbingly, the alcoholism could be due to Antisocial
Personality Disorder, in which a person could resort to alcoholism to escape the
feelings of aggression and frustration they experience.