Many individuals struggle with alcoholism. Problem drinking sometimes runs in families, as there are genetic indicators that can play a part in whether a person overindulges in alcohol or not. However, anyone can start drinking too much if the right combination of factors comes into play. Addiction treatment seems like the most obvious solution if a person struggles to contain their alcoholism, but sometimes it’s not that simple. We’ll talk about the best way to help a struggling alcoholic in the following article.
What is Alcoholism?
Various people have different definitions of alcoholism. Society might look at a person and say they’re a full-blown alcoholic based on how much they consume, but the individual in question might not even think they have a problem.
Alcoholism is mainly defined as a person who has a physical addiction to alcohol. If they quit cold turkey, they will begin to go into withdrawal within a few hours. They need to have a baseline of alcohol in their bloodstream, or their body will experience adverse effects that are immediately evident.
Some people can be psychologically addicted to alcohol as well as physically addicted. For instance, they may not be able to face social situations without drinking.
What is the Best Treatment?
Usually, the first thing you’ll want to do if you’ve got a friend or family member struggling with alcoholism is to talk to them about it. You can do this if you feel the person’s alcohol use is hurting you, them, or others in their life.
Maybe they will be receptive to your plea and cut back on their drinking. If they’re truly an alcoholic, though, they may not be able to stop.
What’s the Next Step?
The next logical step if a one-on-one confrontation doesn’t work, might be asking the alcoholic to seek therapy may help them. Sometimes, speaking to a therapist about issues bothering the problem drinker can be enough to convince them to cut back.
If the person is not willing to seek therapy, you might have an intervention next. You have probably seen how these go, or you’ve read about the basic concept. You and any friends, family members, or coworkers all confront the person about their problem drinking.
That might be enough to get the person into an alcohol treatment program. Getting them into a sober living program where they can dry out and be supervised during the process might work.
What if That Doesn’t Work?
If the person resists getting sober after an intervention and won’t seek any kind of treatment, you might have to resort to more drastic measures. Doubtless, you love and care about this person, but you may have to leave them if their drinking continues to hurt you.
If they’re in your immediate family, you can either leave the household or ask them to leave. You can tell them that because you love them, you’re no longer willing to see them self-destruct.
Hopefully, it will not come to that, but such an action is sometimes necessary.
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