How to Help Your Loved One Struggling with Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol addiction can take a toll on the person who is addicted, as well as on their friends and family. People need the support of their loved ones, as well as the support and guidance of professionals at a reputable addiction clinic to help them overcome their addiction and create a healthier and more rewarding lifestyle.

If you are the friend or family member of someone who is in the grips of alcohol abuse, there are plenty of things you can do to support them and help them choose to get addiction treatment. Here are just a few of the things you can do:

Point Out How They’ve Changed

Once someone starts abusing alcohol heavily, they are likely to change a lot. They may become more depressed, irritable, or irresponsible, among other things, and they may start blowing off work or mistreating their friends or family. Most of the time, they don’t even realize that such changes have happened or that they are as severe as they are.

Pointing out these changes can help the person see how their alcohol addiction has negatively impacted their lives. But you need to be careful not to be accusatory or judgmental when sharing these observations. You don’t want the person to become angry or defensive and to retreat further into alcohol abuse. Use objective language, such as saying, “I’ve noticed that you used to show up to work on time consistently, but now you are regularly late or missing days.” Or, “I’ve noticed that you used to spend a lot of time with friends, but now you spend a lot of time by yourself.”

Share Your Safety Concerns

You are likely trying to talk to your loved one about their alcohol addiction because you care about their health and happiness and want them to get better. When you focus on this, it is easier for the person to feel your love and concern so that they don’t active defensively.

When you talk to your loved one, talk about your concerns for their safety. Talk about specific instances, and use objective language. You might talk about how you are concerned when they stay out late at bars, they drive after drinking, or they drink to the point of blacking out, for example.

Ask How You Can Help

Don’t just put the onus on the person to work out their problems and defeat their addiction. That’s a very tough struggle even when the person has the right addiction counseling and treatment team. Everyone needs help to get through it.

Make it clear that you are ready to help the person get through this by asking what you can do to help. You may have boundaries about what you are willing to do, and you can enforce those. But you should also be prepared to offer alternatives to show how you are willing to do something to help, even if it’s not the first thing suggested.

Offer Your Support

Not everyone is going to be ready to get the help they need when you bring up your concerns. You can’t make anyone do what you want them to do or what you think they should do. But you can support them so that they are ready to make healthy changes later.

Make it clear that you are ready to support the person when they are ready to get help. You can put your own boundaries in place so that you are not further harmed by the person’s alcohol abuse, but you can let them know that you are ready to step up when they are ready to get the help they need.

Alcohol abuse can tear apart a person’s life, and it can difficult watching that happen to someone you love. You can support your loved one and help them make the changes they need to make by following these tips. You can also get your own addiction counseling to help you deal with your own feelings as you support your loved who is struggling with alcohol addiction.

Corebella Health and Wellness has services for those who are struggling with addiction, as well their loved ones, in Glendale and Tempe. We offer a range of treatment options, including individual and group counseling for both the addicts and their family members. We also offer wellness services to promote an overall healthy lifestyle once the initial withdrawal phase has passed. Call us today to learn more about our addiction treatment options in Glendale and Tempe.