Drinkers’ body language showing shame predicts relapse among newly sober
By The Canadian Press - Monday, February 4, 2013 - 0 Comments
VANCOUVER – Recovering alcoholics always hope they won’t fall off the wagon, but researchers…
VANCOUVER – Recovering alcoholics always hope they won’t fall off the wagon, but researchers say they have now found a way to predict if that plunge will occur, and how bad the bender will be.
Observers at the University of British Columbia watched the body language of problem drinkers during two videotaped interviews and found newly sober drinkers who showed signs of shame were much more likely to hit the bottle again.
The study is the first to link physical signs of shame, such as slumped shoulders or a narrow chest, to predictions of relapse over the next three to 11 months in people who struggle with substance abuse.
University of B.C. psychology Prof. Jessica Tracy said the amount of shame displayed is also directly tied to the number of drinks an alcoholic will have on that first binge after giving up sobriety.
