Many people would be able to agree that alcohol addiction is a type of disease that is very difficult to live with.

Most of the time, alcohol addiction can affect all aspects of someone’s life and that includes the people around them.

Friends and family of the person who is suffering from this affliction may want to help them but might not know how or where to start.

Helping anyone with these issues can be a difficult thing to do, but the help that you provide might just be the one thing that could help them break from their addiction for good.

In this article, we are talking about alcohol addiction specifically.

1. Signs of Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a difficult addiction to deal with. You can drink yet not be an alcoholic. Alcohol addiction can often be spotted when you start having problems at school or at work. Maybe you are drinking more than usual. Maybe you are drinking before getting behind the wheel of a car.

You might experience blackouts and can’t remember things. If you begin to have legal issues because of your drinking, this could be a sign of addiction. Have you ever hurt someone or yourself while you have been drinking? Have your friends and or family begun to be concerned about your drinking? Are you able to limit the amounts you drink?

Any of these things can be a sign that you need help.

2. Encourage Them to Seek Help

When someone in your life has an addiction, there is only so much that you can do about it. The person with the addiction issues is the one who needs to seek out the professional help that they need in order to recover.

Whether they are showing something super serious like signs of meth use or a more easily attainable substance like alcohol, your loved ones need to want help too. Everyone needs to encourage people who are suffering from addiction to get the help that they need while not forcing them to do so.

Even though addiction recovery has to start with the person who is addicted, yes, but you can help them see that they need help.

3. Expect it to be Difficult

When you are trying to help an addict, expect it to be hard. They might not agree with you that there is an issue. Even if they do agree, they might not want anything to change. They could fear any consequences, such as losing their job or being kicked out of school.

The addict might even be embarrassed and not want to talk about it. They might not feel right talking about their personal things with a professional. They might also be using addiction as a way to deal with an underlying issue.

4. Talk to a Professional

There are many aspects of addiction that a lot of people might not know about. Speaking with a professional about addiction and specifically, alcoholism can help you when you are trying to assist someone who is suffering from alcohol addiction. Learn the best practices and methods.



5. Learn About Alcohol Addiction

There are quite a few different types of addiction, from gambling and drugs to tobacco and alcohol. Each specific type of addiction will need an approach to recovery that is slightly different. Learning all that you can about the type of addiction that your friend or family member is dealing with can help in finding the best way to help them.

6. Plan an Intervention

It can be difficult to really get through to someone who is addicted to alcohol. In extreme cases, you might need to stage an intervention. Before you do this, talk to a professional so that you will be able to find and use the best methods to host this intervention.

7. Prevent Enabling and Understand

Enabling is something that is unfortunately very common in relationships between people with addictions and their friends and family. Everyone wants and tries to be supportive, but they might not realize that just supporting them will not assist them in breaking free from their specific addiction.

Anyone who is wanting to assist needs to understand the actions that enable addictions and then work to try to correct those actions in their daily life.

8. Avoid Arguing

Negativity can be the last thing you want to bring to a person who is struggling with an addiction. It is critical to try to remain positive, and often, this can mean that you avoid beginning fights and arguments. This will assist in the creation of trust between you and the person with the addiction.

The effects of alcohol addiction on your health

  • KIDNEYS: Chronic kidney disease and acute kidney failure.
  • HEART: Irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, stroke.
  • IMMUNE SYSTEM: Increased susceptibility to diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis.
  • PANCREAS: Inflammation and swelling of blood vessels that prevent proper digestion.
  • LIVER: Inflammation, including fibrosis, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis.

References:

  1. https://www.gov.uk/
  2. https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/

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