Witnessing a loved one struggle from abuse of alcohol is one of the most painful experiences anyone can face. The problems that alcohol causes are easily spotted, yet your loved one persists. As a caring person, you are probably wondering how to help an alcoholic through an alcohol addiction treatment program.
Understand, first, that you can’t help an alcoholic unless they want to be helped. Still, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Sometimes a firm but caring willingness to help is enough to turn someone’s life around.
If your loved one has admitted a problem, what happens then? Does that change how to help an alcoholic? If anything, that’s the time to step up even more. Contact Atlanta Detox Center for treatment today.
What is Alcoholism?
Knowing the facts about alcoholism will help you learn how to help an alcoholic. Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder, is a serious and recurring disease and a significant problem across socio-economic backgrounds.
Unfortunately, there is no objective standard to tell when someone has reached the stage of alcoholism. The key factor is in examining what alcohol does to the quality of someone’s life. It’s based on the problems the drinking of alcohol causes in your family, at work, at school, or with physical health. Some specific signs of alcoholism include:
- Inability to stop drinking
- Hiding your drinking
- Structuring your life around opportunities to drink
- Growing tolerance – takes more to produce the same effect
- Drinking “to relax”
- Cravings for alcohol
How to Help an Alcoholic
You’ve taken the first step merely by reading this article and seeking help from a drug and alcohol detox center. Learning how to help an alcoholic, and facts about alcoholism put you in the best position to guide your loved one from the depths of despair. There are a lot of misconceptions about alcoholism and dispelling those myths will give you the chance to give the caring support your loved one needs.
In getting the facts, it’s also a good moment to gain an understanding of addiction treatment therapies and resources in your community. Not every center is created equal and knowing what questions to ask will move your loved one closer to recovery.
Then comes the hard part — having the conversation. Your loved one may not be receptive at first, so you want to keep the message simple and blame-free. Express your love and concern and your commitment to stand by them. This may not immediately trigger a desire to enter an alcohol detox center but at least it positions you to offer help in making positive, incremental changes along the way.
Tough love plays a role as well. You can only do so much. One of the best steps toward learning how to help an alcoholic is learning when you cannot help an alcoholic. Set boundaries and care for yourself.
How Alcohol Treatment Works
Your loved one may understandably show some reluctance to enter an alcohol treatment center. But reassure them that thousands of people receive help each year on the road to recovery. You can also tell them a little about what to expect.
Everyone will have a different experience, but the phases of alcohol treatment typically include:
- A thorough medical and psychological workup
- Development of a treatment plan
- Detox, to help you weather the withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking
- Counseling, either on an individual or group basis
- Aftercare, to help reduce the risk of relapse
If your loved one has recognized he or she needs help, then treatment is the right place for them to be.
Showing You Care
It’s impossibly hard to witness a loved one struggle with alcohol. We want them to live a happy and healthy life. It’s normal to want to help. Learning how to help an alcoholic is a great first step. If your loved one is open to help, then consider contacting Atlanta Detox Center. Our trained staff of clinicians provides a full range of treatment resources, including our alcohol detox center. We offer a range of other addiction services, including a drug addiction treatment program, men’s detox center, and women’s detox center. Call 833.631.0534 today for a confidential assessment.
