Legacy Healing Center Blog

Fight alcoholism with theses tips on how to help an alcoholic.

Seeing someone close to you suffer from alcohol addiction can be difficult. You may wonder what the best way to help them is but are unsure where to look, or how to help. Alcoholism is both a physical and psychological disorder that affects the individual and those around them. If you are wondering how to help an alcoholic you have come to the right place.

Here we will be addressing a few tips to help with alcohol addiction and the best ways to offer support and help for an alcoholic.

If you or someone you love needs help with addiction, call 954-994-2965 today to speak with a treatment specialist.

Wondering How To Help An Alcoholic?

Alcoholism can range anywhere from mild to severe and while mild may not seem to be as much of a cause for worry, it’s important to point out that mild addiction can lead to severe complications. When you notice that someone around you may need help with alcohol, you can use the following tips to speak to them and understand how to help an alcoholic.

Understand Alcohol Use Disorder – AUD

An AUD is more than just drinking too much off and on, and alcohol use disorder means that individuals never drink in moderation and in order to find help for an alcoholic you must first be able to differentiate between alcohol abuse and what an alcohol use disorder looks like. There are various stages of alcohol addiction and knowing what to look for is also a big part of understanding alcohol use disorder.

• They may be a pre–alcoholic, meaning they are using alcohol as a coping mechanism.

• They may be in the early stage which is a transitional stage where habits of alcohol abuse begin.

• They may be in the middle stage which is the most crucial stage of alcoholism because it is when the individual begins to drink often and consistently and may begin to feel health impacts.

• They may be in the late stage which is when they have completely lost control of their alcohol consumption.

Take The Time To Think About What You Want To Say, And How You Want To Say It

This can be in the form of practicing but before going directly to the individual, put your thoughts together in a supportive way before talking to them. This can be the time to let them know how much you care and that you are concerned about their health.

Make sure to also be prepared for the conversation to take different turns. Letting someone know they need help with alcohol can be a difficult task and even if you are being as supportive as possible, they may not like what you have to say.

By taking the time to think about what you want to say, you can think about the time and the place you would like to have the conversation. This can be in the safety of your home, or the individuals but a place that is free of interruptions and hopefully when the individual is sober.

Being honest with your loved one is also an important part of how to help an alcoholic. While the individual may be in denial of their problem, honesty can at least let them know what you are thinking.

As stated before, try to come up with various outcomes of the conversation because the individual may react angrily. Be true to yourself and the relationship that you have with the individual.

While it may be hard not to take certain things personally, reminding yourself that you are here to get help for an alcoholic, someone that you care about. If they are upset, give them time to cool off and when everyone is ready, offer your support.

Offering support is one of the best ways to help an alcoholic. This can be in the form of intervention, or just being there when they need you. Not one individual is alike and while some individuals may want you to hold their hand through the process, others may not.

While overcoming alcohol addiction is not easy, it is possible. The most successful outcomes of alcohol treatment is when the individual is ready to change and has a great support group to help them do so.

Reach out to us today and call 954-994-2965 to speak with a treatment specialist.