How Can I Help Someone I Love Defeat Alcohol Addiction?
Having to deal with a loved one’s alcoholism can be an overwhelming and immensely challenging experience.
People suffering from an alcohol use disorder don’t just drink on a routine or drink too much. It goes deeper than that. They have a compulsive need to drink alcohol and have no control over how much they consume.
It does fall upon the alcoholic to come to terms with the damage they’re doing to themselves. But there are several measures people who care about them can take to help them stop their addiction.
Here’s a list of ways that loved ones can use to help an alcoholic curb their drinking.
1. Consider Alcohol Treatment Centers as a Solution
During the intervention, you might find that your loved one has probably tried to get sober on their own unsuccessfully. In such a scenario, seeking professional treatment can help your loved one curb their addiction and develop healthy coping skills.
Compile a list of alcohol treatment centers in your area that offer treatment programs. We recommend you to reach out to The Edge Treatment, here is one of the most qualified alcohol treatment centers in California. As you look for the most ideal treatment center for your loved one, consider their level of dependence and mental health conditions.
2. Educate Yourself on Matters Alcoholism
If you plan to intervene and help your loved one with their addiction, the first thing you should do is to increase your awareness of alcohol use disorder.
Alcoholism is highly complex and involves a lot more than occasional drinking. As such, you should try to understand how alcohol use affects the brain, behavior, and body. A simple way of doing so is looking up online resources with information about alcohol use disorder. Especially, if your loved one drinks alcohol with Pepcid, you should read about the danger it may cause. There are articles online about pepcid and alcohol interaction that could help.
There’s a lot of information and research data on alcohol addiction on the internet. Explore these resources to learn more about the condition.
3. Identify The Signs
Alcoholism is more than being drunk constantly and for many people, drinking is a regular aspect of life. You could be mistaking alcoholism for social drinking or simply as a coping mechanism.
All the same, the effects of alcohol vary with people. There’s no particular amount of consumption that can quite dictate if a person is an alcoholic. Rather, it’s more defined by the impact drinking has had in their life.
Does your loved one often binge drink more than they planned to? Are they honest about how much they’re drinking? Is the drinking causing them to ignore their obligations at work, home, or school?
These are some of the signs you need to look out for to assert that your loved one is suffering from alcohol addiction.
4. Create a Comfortable Environment for Opening up
You need to choose a viable place and time that’s conducive for you to have a conversation. Make sure that it’s a quiet and private place to prevent possible interruptions. You want to have each other’s full attention.
Proceed to make your loved ones know that you’re concerned about their drinking.
As highlighted above, people with an alcohol use disorder are often struggling with anxiety or depression. In some cases, the alcoholic doesn’t know they’re suffering from mental health issues so prepare for a hostile reaction.
For this reason, try to acknowledge that there might be an underlying mental health issue resulting from their drinking. Avoid coming off as accusatory during the intervention and approach the situation with compassion and an open mind.
Treating alcoholism is no easy task and it rarely works the first time you try so try to be patient and offer your loved one the unconditional support they need to recover.