How to Help an Alcoholic
Alcoholism is a serious and chronic disease that affects not only a substance abuser but all of the people around them. Whether a substance abuser can be classified as functional or has trouble meeting daily obligations, helping an alcoholic may save their life. Thankfully, there are steps that you can take to help an alcoholic friend, loved one, or associate get the treatment and support that they need to recover from their addiction. At BetterAddictionCare, we work with a nationwide network of treatment centers that offer medically assisted detoxes and individualized therapies so that addicts can fully embrace sobriety. Our counselors can help you plan an intervention and find a facility near you.
While trying to determine how to help an alcoholic, friends and loved ones need to take the important step of confronting denial. Many people expect that an alcoholic will deny that they have a problem with substance abuse, but some relatives and close associates may also refuse to acknowledge an alcoholic’s destructive behaviors. It can be a good idea to observe an alcoholic’s behavior to gather information about when, how much, and why they drink and write down how their substance abuse impacts others. Discuss the issue of alcoholism among yourselves and agree upon a strategy to confront the issue of dependency. After the addict enters an inpatient rehab, codependency can be addressed during addiction counseling if certain actions have enabled the addict; alternative rehab programs are available in our recovery network that offer group therapy.
Some substance abusers exhibit particularly severe traits of alcoholism, such as psychological disturbances and physical withdrawal symptoms. In cases like these, demanding that an alcoholic friend or loved one quit cold turkey can be dangerous or even fatal. To start healing, these alcoholics need to be surrounded by highly trained professionals in a medical setting and undergo safe detoxes. At BetterAddictionCare, we realize how important it can be for severe alcoholics to get help now, and that’s why we’ve included facilities in our network that offer medically assisted detoxes and immediate admissions. Take our pre-assessment to help you find a rehab that will accept private insurance.
When helping an alcoholic, your efforts shouldn’t stop after a substance abuser agrees to seek addiction recovery services. To support an alcoholic friend or relative, take it upon yourself to learn about alcohol abuse and find specific ways that you can assist an addict according to your role in their life. Embody compassion and patience and express love and concern as an addict attempts to get sober. You might also offer to drive them to aftercare appointments and meetings. All of the facilities in our directory are associated with good after-treatment programs that can keep an addict on track with their customized treatment program; fill out our contact form to inquire about programs near you.
If you’re someone who has never dealt with the disease of alcoholism, it may be challenging to learn how to help an alcoholic, but we can help you get on the right track. If you want to get help for an alcoholic friend or loved one, call today to speak with a counselor. Our counselors may be able to give you information that will help convince an alcoholic to seek treatment, including identifying cost-effective treatment centers near you that are accepting new patients and offering transportation services that can be used in conjunction with an intervention. Immediate admissions are available for substance abusers who need to get sober as soon as possible.
Sources
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2021). Treatment for Alcohol Problems: Finding and Getting Help. Retrieved from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/treatment-alcohol-problems-finding-and-getting-help
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2015). Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 49. Retrieved from https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Treatment-of-Individuals-With-Substance-Use-Disorders-Tip-49/SMA13-3991
- Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2012). Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change. Guilford Press.
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- National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. (n.d.). Family Disease: Help & Hope for Families. Retrieved from https://www.ncadd.org/family-friends/there-is-help/family-disease-help-hope-for-families
- Meyers, R. J., & Smith, J. E. (1995). Clinical Guide to Alcohol Treatment: The Community Reinforcement Approach. Guilford Press.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). Supporting Family Members Affected by Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders. Retrieved from https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Supporting-Family-Members-Affected-by-Substance-Use-and-Mental-Health-Disorders/SMA14-4877
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2021). Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment: A Guide for Patients. Retrieved from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-use-disorder-treatment-guide
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- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2021). Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcoholism. Retrieved from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-alcohol-use-disorder