How to Deal With an Alcoholic: Dos, Dont’s, Coping

Recovering from alcohol addiction or abuse is much easier when you have people you can lean on for encouragement, comfort, and guidance. If you’re a long-term, heavy drinker, you may need medically supervised detoxification. Detox can be done on an outpatient basis or in a hospital or alcohol treatment facility, where you may be prescribed medication to prevent medical complications and relieve withdrawal symptoms. Talk to your doctor or an addiction specialist to learn more. If you don’t control codependency, it can lead into more serious complications such as obsessive behavior, blame, and mental health issues.

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Alcohol use disorder includes a level of drinking that’s sometimes called alcoholism. Build a sober social network – If your previous social life revolved around alcohol, you may need to make some new connections. It’s important to have sober friends who will support your recovery. Try taking a class, joining a church or a civic group, volunteering, or attending Hope House Boston Review events in your community.

• The best place to start getting involved is through an A.A.
• Your health care provider can help you evaluate the pros and cons of each treatment setting.
• Contact your primary care provider, health insurance plan, local health department, or employee assistance program for information about specialty treatment.
• Each of these fee-based tools has a research base that shows its potential to help people cut down or quit drinking.
• Continued support is vital for continued recovery.
• Sobriety and recovery will seem a lot less daunting if they have a starting point.

Alcohol use disorder

Currently, there are three medications approved for AUD in the United States, and they are an effective and important aid in the treatment of people with this condition. Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and what may work for one person may not be a good fit for someone else. Simply understanding the different options can be an important first step. Be genuine and honest about your concerns, including how their drinking is affecting their health and the family as a whole. You can mention a particular problem that is arising from drinking, such as financial or relationship troubles. “Mental health care is critical for achieving long-term success in overcoming AUD,” says Elhaj.

Press Play for Advice On Finding Help for Alcohol Addiction

You can also participate in a program that’s designed for the friends and family members of alcoholics, such as Al-Anon. What kind of treatment does the program or provider offer? It is important to gauge whether the facility provides all the currently available, evidence-based methods or relies on one approach. You may want to learn if the program or provider offers medication and whether mental health issues are addressed together with alcohol treatment. Cognitive–behavioral therapy can take place one-on-one with a therapist or in small groups. This form of therapy is focused on identifying the feelings and situations (called “cues”) that contribute to heavy drinking and managing stress that can lead to a return to drinking.

• Make a table like the one below, weighing the costs and benefits of drinking to the costs and benefits of quitting.
• But you can present your concerns in such a way that they might see things more clearly and get the help they need.
• During AUD recovery, a person should focus on taking care of themselves and engaging in positive self-care behaviors.
• If the person does have an alcohol problem, the best thing you can do is be open and honest with them about it.

Someone with alcoholism has both a physical and psychological dependence on alcohol. They may have problems controlling their drinking habits or choose to keep drinking even though it causes problems. These problems may interfere with their professional and social relationships or even their own health. Seek help from a trusted friend, therapist or clergy member if you feel stressed or depressed. You can also participate in a support program designed for the friends and family members whose lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking, such as Al-Anon. Just like any other medical condition, people with substance use disorders deserve to have a range of treatment options available to them.

Once you approach someone about their potential alcohol problem, it would be highly inconsiderate and counterproductive to drink alcohol in their presence. Drinking around the person could lead them to want to drink, or make them believe you weren’t serious in your concern. This is not to say you can’t drink — just don’t do it around the person you confronted, at least not soon after voicing that concern. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.

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To avoid burnout, set clear limits on what you’re able to do. Behavioral treatments include individual, group, and family therapy sessions. Alcohol abuse and addiction (also known as “alcohol use disorder”) doesn’t just affect the person drinking—it affects their families and loved ones, too. Watching a friend or family member struggle with a drinking problem can be as heartbreakingly painful as it is frustrating. Your loved one may be disrupting family life by neglecting their responsibilities, getting into financial and legal difficulties, or mistreating or even abusing you and other family members.

What to Say to an Alcoholic

Of course, not everyone who drinks too much is an alcoholic. Witnessing your loved one’s drinking and the deterioration of your relationship can trigger many distressing emotions, including shame, fear, anger, and self-blame. Your loved one’s addiction may even be so overwhelming that it seems easier to ignore it and pretend that nothing is wrong. But in the long run denying it will only bring more harm to you, your loved one with the problem, and the rest of your family. Seeking support for yourself through resources or therapy can help you feel like you’re not going through this challenge alone.

Step 1: Seek Support

Approaching someone to discuss your concerns is different from an intervention. It involves planning, giving consequences, sharing, and presenting a treatment option. Realize that you can’t force someone who doesn’t want to go into treatment. Imagine yourself in the same situation and what your reaction might be. If the person does have an alcohol problem, the best thing you can do is be open and honest with them about it.

Do Stay Focused on the Present

Scientists are working to develop a larger menu of pharmaceutical treatments that could be tailored to individual needs. Sobriety and recovery will seem a lot less daunting if they have a starting point. Be ready to direct them to a treatment program you think may be a good fit or to online resources.