In this article I will explain How to help an alcoholic To stop drinking; Husbands, wives, children, siblings, fathers, mothers, friends or anyone nearby.
If you do not recognize your problem, it is addictive or aggressive is usually more complicated, but you can also give you help to overcome it. If you are in recovery it is usually easier, but you will also have to take the appropriate actions.
10 Tips to Help an Alcoholic Person
1. Choose the right time and place to talk about your problem
It will not do you any good to have him sermon when he comes home drunk. You will not be able to hear and you will not remember practically anything to the day following.
It is better that you choose a time when you can both sit down and talk calmly, when you have not drunk and in a quiet place.
He thinks that by confessing his concern for his drinking problem, he can react aggressively and violently.
Therefore, it is advisable not to be a crowded site. The ideal would be to talk in a private place, without many relatives present.
Try to show a Empathic attitude , Instead of recriminating the consequences of his addiction. Make it time you are not alone, that it is a disease and That you can offer your help.
The situation will be complicated if, at this point, the alcoholic person does not accept your help or does not recognize having an addiction.
The best thing in these cases is not to keep insisting, but to resort to another member of the family or medical staff that exposes the gravity of the situation.
2. Do not take responsibility for your responsibilities
Once he has recognized that he has a problem, the alcoholic can confess all the economic, judicial or labor problems that he has.
Here, it is important that you lend your support, guide you on how to solve your problems step by step, but never take care of all your pending issues.
Taking the reins of your life, you will only make the person not aware of the deterioration of addiction in many aspects.
It is much more advisable to help you find ways to pay your debts, justify absences at work, or encourage you to recognize your problem In front of their loved ones, but without doing everything for him.
By helping and encouraging him, you will gradually gain a sense of control over his life and be aware of the danger involved To continue drinking.
3. Do not blame him
It may be difficult to see alcoholism as an illness, since the alcoholic is the one who decides to drink.
However, you should know that alcohol is a substance that is socially accepted. Little by little, the person is increasing his consumption and stops having control.
This usually happens gradually, until the person is involved in a strong addiction, which can not cope by itself.
Put your anger aside , Your anger and your recrimination about the addicted person. Making you feel bad will give you the perfect excuse to continue. Drinking.
It is more beneficial to show empathic, close and offer your company. In this way, you get involved in the problem from a helping position, not from aggravation.
4. Do not use violence
It is common that you lose control with an addicted person who, sometimes, can even behave violently.
Even insults and offensive words are considered a form of violence, due to the psychological damage they produce in the person who receives them.
You can fool yourself into thinking that the use of violence is justified if the other person behaves in this way.
However, using the same attitude will not be helpful, since it will only lead to new problems, such as worsening the situation of a family that already Is suffering the consequences of addiction.
Develop your patience, stay calm and think about the damage you can do if you use physical violence or verbal .
5 . Do not ignore / hide the problem
One form of common behavior is to hide the problem out of shame or fear of"what they will say".
Likewise, not giving it the necessary importance will end up worsening both the problem of addiction and secondary diseases.
This is never advisable, since by involving the next of kin, greater support and help can be provided.
You should also consider exposing the problem to people who may be contributing to their maintenance, such as barmen, dependents Supermarkets, etc.
It is always advisable to control these factors, so that the addict can not have immediate access to the drink in case of an attempt to relapse.
6. Control of money
This point is closely related to the previous one, since it will be of no use that you control the handling of money if you have another way of to get it.
Only when all the family and people close to you are involved in addiction can you carry out strict control over the money you Handles the alcoholic person.
It is important that you can not go out with cash or credit cards from home, so that you do not have access to the purchase of alcoholic beverages in No time.
It is also important to remember the possibility of theft or robbery, since, on many occasions, the power of addiction is stronger That the will of the alcoholic person.
7. Encourage her to seek professional help
In recent years it has become clear that support groups have very good results and many alcoholics manage to overcome this addiction Sharing them with people who are in the same situation.
Therefore, you should encourage it to benefit from this resource, since it is a confidential space in which you will feel understood and identified.
If you have a good relationship in therapy, you will come to it in the face of adversity, just as you used to drink.
In parallel with the assistance of support groups, you should consult a specialist doctor to analyze the physical dangers of giving up Alcohol in a radical way.
In some occasions, it is advisable to carry out a pharmacological treatment that complements the psychological.
8. Performs leisure activities
Keep in mind that when a person develops an addiction, many areas of their life are affected.
A common cause of drinking addiction is the feeling of abandonment And loneliness .
If you help improve other aspects of your life, you will contribute to alcohol becoming less important to him.
A person who has spent many hours of his life drinking will feel empty if he does not otherwise cover that time.
Practicing a sport - especially if done in the family - can contribute to increase the well-being of the person and their loved ones.
In addition, little by little the Benefits provided by physical exercise in the body.
Another type of leisure activities you can propose are going to the movies, spending a day at the beach or on the mountain, taking a walk in a park, etc.
It is important that you make the addicted person see that the world is not reduced to alcohol consumption, but there are endless ways to enjoy with the People around you.
9. Value your achievements
Especially when it comes to people who have long been alcoholic, it will be difficult to notice important advances.
You can also feel that there are advances and setbacks, so that there is no significant improvement.
This situation is very common, since the person is beginning to acquire skills that allow him to leave this situation, but they are combined with Moments of relapse.
Offer your support when you fall, since it will be a time when you will feel especially vulnerable, being able to consume again.
In fact, it is very common for a person who has had a relapse to think that they can not fight addiction and consider stopping trying.
It will also be of great help for the improvement and the self-esteem Of the addicted person who values their effort and the time they take without consuming alcohol.
10. Avoid stimuli that remind you of alcohol
It is very important that you do not drink in front of the person affected and that you do not have alcoholic beverages at home.
In addition, you should avoid attending places where you usually drink in excess, since many features of the place will remind you of the action and the Desire to drink
If you usually drink in a concrete bar near your residence, it may be a good idea to look for an alternative route to return home, avoiding where possible Approach this bar.
Also be especially cautious when attending parties and celebrations, since alcohol is a legal drug that, moreover, is approved socially.
It can be very difficult for an addict not to try alcohol at such events, so you should avoid attending unless you already have Beyond the first months of abstinence.
Therefore, in spite of the complexity of alcoholism, there are numerous ways you can help a person with this addiction, as we have just see.
How do I know if someone is an alcoholic?
Since it is a question of A drug Consumed by a large number of people, it is sometimes not clear how we can differentiate an addict from a regular drinker.
Although there are different classification systems, here we will be based on one of the most used in our country, the DSM-IV - Diagnostic Statistical Manual Mental Disorders.
This manual describes dependence on alcohol as a maladaptive pattern of use of this substance, which is manifested by some of the following symptoms:
1. Need to increase the amount of alcohol to achieve the desired effect.
2. Abstinence syndrome Of alcohol.
3. Alcohol is often consumed to prevent withdrawal.
4. Persistent desire or one or more useless efforts to suppress or control the drink.
5. The use of alcohol is made in greater quantity or for a longer period of time than the intended subject.
6. Abandonment or reduction - due to drinking - of social, occupational or recreational activities.
7. A great part of the time is used in activities necessary to obtain alcohol, to consume it or to recover of its effects.
8. Continued use of alcohol despite being aware of recurring problems that are stimulated by such use.
9. Recurrent consumption of alcohol that causes inability to fulfill obligations at work, school or home.
10. Recurrent use of alcohol in situations where there is danger.
11. Legal or interpersonal problems related to recurrent alcohol use.
The more criteria are observed, the more serious the dependence on alcohol and the more necessary it will be to begin the intervention.
Regarding the temporal criterion, there is no specific period of time, although some of these symptoms may be considered to have been Present for at least one month.
Problems secondary to alcohol consumption
Another aspect to take into account is the risk of suffering from diseases Alcohol dependence .
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), alcohol consumption can facilitate the onset of more than 200 diseases, including Some types of cancer, liver cirrhosis, and trauma - due to violence, accidents and suicides.
This type of trauma constitutes a large percentage of deaths due to alcohol consumption, especially among the young population.
In addition to these Health consequences , We must highlight the risks involved in the social life of alcohol consumers and their families, and The economic losses it entails.
As can be seen, it is a very complex disease that is not usually presented in a unique way, but carries with it numerous effects Secondary.
Sometimes it also comes with Gambling addiction problems Or to other substances - such as tobacco or illegal drugs.
In spite of being a difficult disease to treat, from here we offer you some tips that you can use to help a person Alcoholic-dependent.
And you, what strategies would you use to help an alcoholic?
References
- A. Belloch, B. Sandín, F. Ramos. Manual of Psychopathology Volume I. 2008.
- William Madsen, Ph. D. ALCOHOL HEALTH AND RESEARCH WORLD , 27-30. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS AS A CRISIS CULT (1974).
- WR Miller Engaging the unmotivated in treatment for alcohol problems: A comparison of three intervention strategies (1999).
- Pincus, H.A, M.B. First, A. French . DSM-IV-TR. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2001).
- Image source 1.