Alcohol addiction is a chronic disorder and like other chronic disorders, there will be periods of abstinence and periods of alcohol relapse. It can be alarming when a person in recovery starts drinking again. You should never feel like a relapse as a failure, people relapse often and are a part of the recovery process. Remember if alcoholics start drinking again, the important part is to get them back on their treatment program. They were able to do it once, and they can do it again.