HOW TO HELP AN ALCOHOLIC: 10 PRACTICAL TIPS - ARTE - 2025

In this article I will explain how to help an alcoholic to stop drinking; husbands, wives, children, siblings, fathers, mothers, friends or any close person.

If he does not recognize his problem, is drug addict or aggressive, it is usually more complicated, although you can also help him to overcome it. If you are in recovery, it is usually easier, although you will also have to take the appropriate actions.

Since it is a drug consumed by a large number of people, it is sometimes not clear how we can differentiate an addict from a habitual drinker. However, there are some clear symptoms that you can observe:

• Continued use of alcohol despite being aware of having problems.
• Recurrent alcohol use that results in an inability to fulfill obligations at work, school, or home.
• Legal or interpersonal problems related to the recurrent use of alcohol.
• Alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

10 Tips to Help an Alcoholic Person

Choose the right place and time to talk about your problem

It won't do any good if you lecture him when he gets home drunk. He will not be in a position to hear you and will remember practically nothing the next day. It is better that you choose a time when you can both sit and talk calmly, when she has not had a drink and in a quiet place.

Think that when you confess your concern about his drinking problem, he may react in an aggressive and violent way. Therefore, it is convenient that it is not a crowded place. Ideally, talk in a private place, without many family members present.

Try to show an empathetic attitude, instead of berating him for the consequences of his addiction. Show him that he is not alone, that it is a disease and that you can offer your help.

The situation will be complicated if, at this point, the alcoholic person does not accept your help or does not acknowledge having an addiction. The best thing in these cases is not to continue insisting, but to turn to another member of the family or medical personnel who explains the seriousness of the situation.

Don't take over your responsibilities

Once he has recognized that he has a problem, the alcoholic person can confess all the economic, legal or work problems that he has. Here, it is important that you lend him your support, that you guide him on how to solve his problems step by step, but never take care of all his pending issues.

By taking control of his life, you will only ensure that the person is not aware of the deterioration that addiction implies in many aspects.

It is much more advisable that you help him find a way to pay his debts, to justify absences from work, or encourage him to acknowledge his problem in front of his loved ones, but without doing everything for him.

By helping and encouraging him, you will gradually gain a sense of control over his life and become aware of the danger of continuing to drink.

Do not blame him

It can be difficult for you to see alcoholism as a disease, since the alcoholic is the one who decides to drink. However, you should know that alcohol is a substance that is socially accepted. Little by little, the person increases their consumption and loses control.

This usually happens gradually, until the person is involved in a strong addiction, which he cannot cope with on his own. Put aside your anger, your anger and your recrimination about the addicted person. Making you feel bad will give you the perfect excuse to continue drinking.

It is more beneficial to be empathetic, close and offer your company. In this way, you engage in the problem from a position of help, not of aggravation.

Do not use violence

It is common for you to lose control with an addicted person who, at times, can even behave in a violent way. Even insults and offensive words are considered a form of violence, due to the psychological damage they cause to the person who receives them.

You can fool yourself into thinking that the use of violence is justified if the other person behaves in this way. However, using the same attitude will not help, since it will only bring about new problems, such as worsening the situation of a family that is already suffering the consequences of addiction.

Develop your patience, stay calm, and think about the harm you can do if you use physical or verbal violence.

Don't ignore / hide the problem

A common form of behavior is to hide the problem out of shame or fear of "what will they say." Similarly, not giving it the necessary importance will end up worsening both the problem of addiction and secondary diseases.

This is never recommended, since by involving close family members, greater support and help can be provided.

You should also consider exposing the problem to people who may be contributing to its maintenance, such as bar waiters, supermarket clerks, etc.

It is always advisable to control these factors, so that the addicted person cannot have immediate access to the drink in case of attempted relapse.

Money control

This point is closely related to the previous one, since it will not do any good if you control the handling of money if you have another way to get it.

Only when the whole family and close people are involved in the addiction, you can carry out a strict control on the money that the alcoholic person handles.

It is important that you cannot leave with cash or credit cards from home, so that you do not have access to the purchase of alcoholic beverages at any time.

It is also important to remember the possibility of robbery or theft, since, in many cases, the power of addiction is stronger than the will of the alcoholic person.

Encourage him to seek professional help

In recent years it has become clear that support groups have very good results and many alcoholics manage to overcome this addiction by sharing them with people who are in the same situation.

Therefore, you should encourage him to take advantage of this resource, as it is a confidential space in which he will feel understood and identified. If you have a good relationship in therapy, you will come to it in the face of adversity, just as you used to resort to drinking.

Parallel to attending support groups, you should consult a medical specialist who analyzes the physical dangers of radically abandoning alcohol consumption.

On some occasions, it is advisable to carry out a pharmacological treatment that complements the psychological one.

Do leisure activities

Keep in mind that when a person develops an addiction, many areas of their life are affected. A common cause of drinking addiction is feelings of abandonment and loneliness.

If you help improve other aspects of his life, you will help alcohol to lose its importance to him. A person who has spent many hours of his life drinking will feel empty if he does not cover that time in another way.

Practicing some sport - especially if it is done as a family - can contribute to increasing the well-being of the person and their loved ones. In addition, little by little you can see the benefits of physical exercise in the body.

Other types of leisure activities that you can propose are going to the cinema, spending a day at the beach or in the mountains, taking a walk in a park, etc.

It is important that you make the addicted person see that the world is not reduced to alcohol consumption, but that there are infinite ways to enjoy the people around you.

Rate their achievements

Especially when it comes to people who have been alcoholics for a long time, it will be difficult to notice major advances. You can also feel that there are advances and setbacks, so that you do not get to present a significant improvement.

This situation is very common, since the person is beginning to acquire skills that allow them to get out of this situation, but they are combined with specific moments of relapse.

Offer your support when he relapses, since it will be a time when he will feel especially vulnerable, and may start using again. In fact, it is very common for a person who has relapsed to think that they cannot fight the addiction and to consider giving up trying.

Likewise, it will be of great help for the improvement and self-esteem of the addicted person who values ​​their effort and the time they have been without consuming alcohol.

Avoid stimuli that remind you of alcohol

It is very important that you do not drink in front of the affected person and that you do not have alcoholic beverages at home. In addition, you should avoid going to places where he tends to drink excessively, since many characteristics of the place will remind him of the action and desire to drink.

If you usually drink in a specific bar near your residence, it may be a good idea to find an alternative route to return home, avoiding this bar as much as possible.

You also have to be especially cautious when attending parties and celebrations, since alcohol is a legal drug that is also socially approved.

It can be very difficult for an addicted person not to try alcohol at these types of events, so you should avoid attending unless you are past the first few months of abstinence.

Therefore, despite the complexity of alcoholism, there are numerous ways in which you can help a person with this addiction, as we have just seen.

References

1. A. Belloch, B. Sandín, F. Ramos. Manual of Psychopathology Volume I. 2008.
2. William Madsen, Ph. D. ALCOHOL HEALTH AND RESEARCH WORLD, 27-30. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS AS A CRISIS CULT (1974).
3. WR Miller Engaging the unmotivated in treatment for alcohol problems: A comparison of three intervention strategies (1999).
4. Pincus, HA, MB First, A. Frances. DSM-IV-TR. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2001).
5. Image source 1.