There are three pillars to creating a strong foundation of recovery that have worked for thousands upon thousands who could not do it on their own.
The first, a medical detox program is more frequently required than many think. With large amounts of booze and sometimes even small but steady amounts of drugs the body becomes habituated and can have serious reactions when those substances are removed. In the case of alcohol stopping drinking suddenly can even be life threatening so supervised care in an appropriate facility is highly recommended before beginning a treatment program.
The alcohol treatment program itself is a designated time designed to focus only on the fundamentals of recovery shutting out as many of the outside distractions as possible. This is where you take a deep honest look at drinking behaviors and their consequences.
Frequently after treatment a sober living facility is recommended to minimize distractions and keep focus on a recovery program during the critical initial months of sobriety.
By following these three pillars of recovery and taking sobriety seriously, alcoholics have a very good chance of remaining sober and enjoying a life that they may have given up on.