How to Help Someone with Alcohol Addiction

Seeing someone you care about get ensnared by the cruel tentacles of alcohol addiction can be a harrowing sight. Watching them slowly sink lower and lower into the throes of addiction can make you feel helpless. You are eager to assist them on their journey to sobriety, but you just don’t know how. Get the tools to help with these tips on how to help someone with alcohol addiction from Alvarado Parkway Institute in San Diego.

1. Delicately Let Them Know Your Concern

Someone with an alcohol abuse problem does not know that you are worried about them until you vocalize it. Sit them down and explain to them your concern, and how their drinking is negatively affecting them and the people around them. Try to vocalize where your concern is coming from. Avoid using tired platitudes and instead just be honest and compassionate. A conversation like this, if done with love, can be a great first step to recovery.

2. Talk About the Underlying Cause of Their Drinking

Instead of merely pointing out all of the instances they drank too much or made a bad decision because of alcohol, try to delve into the root causes of their addiction. It is important to let them know you think there is an underlying cause for their drinking, but try not to accuse them of being someone who struggles with depression or anxiety. Open the conversation with “Why do you think you started drinking so much?”, and hopefully that can start a dialogue that you can gently push along.

3. Do Not Give Them an Ultimatum

It can be tempting to ask a loved one to choose between alcohol and your relationship as a way to force them into action, but in most cases alcoholics need to make a decision on sobriety on their own accord. If given an ultimatum, an alcoholic will likely choose to continue drinking, and this decision will only cause them to feel self-loathing and dive deeper into alcoholism. Instead of an ultimatum, offer them some options to aid them in their recovery, including alcohol counselors and rehab centers.

4. Stop Drinking Alcohol Around Them

You don’t want to give someone with a drinking problem a reason to grab a drink. Make a concentrated effort to stop drinking around your loved one with an alcohol addiction. If you used to meet up for a drink or go to bars with them, find a new activity that does not include any alcohol. Go for a walk together, or grab a cup of coffee. 

5. Do Not Enable Them

While playing bad cop is a tough role, somebody has to do it. If you see your loved one abusing alcohol, you have to say something. That doesn’t mean that you have to be rude or angry with them. Simply explain to them that you cannot support their drinking habit, and if they insist on drinking you have to leave. While not an ultimatum, it is still making it very clear that you do not support their drinking habit.

6. Get Them Help From a Professional

There is only so much you can do. If your loved one is resisting your assistance and making no effort to make a change, contact a professional to help. This can be convincing them to meet with an alcohol counselor to talk about their problems, getting someone to mediate an intervention, or trying to convince them to go to rehab.

Alvarado Parkway Institute Offers Alcohol Addiction Treatment in San Diego

If someone you love is struggling with alcohol addiction, get them the help they need. Alvarado Parkway Institute in San Diego offers alcohol addiction treatment to help addicts get sober and start anew. If you are interested in learning more about our alcohol treatment programs, give us a call at (619) 667-6125.