Here’s How You Can Help An Alcoholic

Life is never easy. It is unfair and sometimes knocks you down. It might not favor you every time. It will give you a series of ups and downs. Whether it be financially, academically, family-wise or whatsoever. Luck might not always be in your favor. It might challenge you financially, academically, family-wise or whatsoever. As we grow older, our problems increase in magnitude as well. When we are adults, we are at the peak of facing problems of all sorts.

For this reason, many of us adopt different habits to cope up with all of this. Some of us develop hobbies that they treat as their getaway. They read books, write poetry, sing songs, paint, draw and so on. Some of us, however, develop other habits. We indulge in drinking alcohol or sometimes even drugs to wash away the pain. Whether it is to buy red wine online or down bottles upon bottles of beer per day, alcohol can be very dangerous and lead you to an extremely toxic lifestyle. The key is to balance the intake of alcohol. Consumption of alcohol for parties, formal events, weddings is acceptable. However, leading to substance abuse is highly frowned upon and is very dangerous for you. Here’s how you can help an alcoholic

Understand Alcoholism

A teacher never teaches that to a student what he does not know himself. An activist never raises awareness for something he does not believe in. Similarly, you cannot help an alcoholic until you understand for yourself what alcoholism actually is. To help others and enlighten them, you need to be enlightened yourself first.

Alcoholism is the addiction to alcohol. It is developed over time and needs to be monitored. Alcoholism is something that is easy to detect and thus, easy to prevent. There are a lot of symptoms that an alcoholic develops. You need to be able to identify them. An alcoholic would constantly be having a drink. They would always want to go to the bar or always have a flask in their hands. They would not be able to put a stop to the amount of alcohol being consumed and would lose track of how many drinks they have had. They would get extremely drunk, pass out and wake up to find chunks of their time missing out. They would soon leave all other hobbies and focus primarily on their need for alcohol. They would skip golf, gym, guitar lessons and use that time to go to the bar and have a drink.

Everything about their life would be related to alcohol. You need to understand these basic facts before approaching an alcoholic.

Approach The Subject

Once you understand what alcoholism actually is, it would enable you to understand what the person is going through and experiencing. You need to know that an alcoholic develops a very irritable personality. They become very aggressive and their body doesn’t help them either. Their body starts sweating and shaking and the alcoholic experiences nausea. They have a terrible hangover all the time and they get very defensive when you point either of this out.

You need to, therefore, be very specific about what you are going to say. The best way to do that is to practice beforehand. Practice using a very calm and understanding tone. Do not, in any case, get angry at them and react. Use specific phrases to prove to them that you understand and are not blaming them for anything. Tell them that you love them and being an alcoholic does not change that. Tell them that they are still the same person and that you can help them. Make them understand that the reason that you are approaching them is that you care for them. Show them that their health is very important for you. Give them enough love that they start finding themselves worthy of it and start worrying about their health themselves. An alcoholic might have a very tough exterior to break through but remember that their heart is still the same.

Listen To Them And Understand Them

Once you break through their tough shell, the alcoholic would then start to confide in you as well. This is where the subject would be most vulnerable. Listen to them carefully first and understand them.

Be very understanding and not at all judgmental. Don’t say anything that might trigger them. Don’t act shocked or laugh at them or use sarcasm. Remember what they are going through and experiencing. Once your friend starts to confide in you, they might tell you a lot of things. They might break down and start crying. Offer them your shoulder. Offer them advice and help through and through. If they are in financial constraints, offer to loan them some money. Find job prospects for them. If they are grieving over a loved one then help them move on.

Help them find closure. Make them talk about everything they are feeling so they start letting out everything. Whatever problem they are facing, help them find a solution for it and just be there for them through thick and thin.

Help Them Cure Alcoholism

Any person who is going through substance abuse hates the idea of going through rehabilitation. They feel highly attacked and might close you off for good. However, this is something that is essential for an alcoholic. Thus, whatever the risks might be offered this solution to the subject.

Talk to your friend or whoever you are helping battling with alcoholism. First, lay the groundwork and make them aware of the effects alcohol has on their bodies. Make them care enough for their body that they are ready to go for any solution then, casually slide in the idea of rehabilitation centers. Make it very normal for them and offer them all the support for this journey. Tell them that going through rehab is nothing to be ashamed of. Instead, they should be proud that they are strong enough to brave this storm.

Conclusion

Being an alcoholic is sadly very common these days. But even more common is its treatment. There are a lot of centers that are there for you. They help you with detox, therapy, and medication. They help you fight this battle and provide you with the necessary armor. Anything can be solved when you have the determination for it and being an alcoholic is no different. You are much more than what you are addicted to. You are stronger than this and with the right set of steps, you can overcome this.

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