How To Help Someone With Alcohol Addiction

How To Help Someone With Alcohol Addiction – Home » Blog » Signs and Symptoms of Alcoholism – How to Know if Someone Has a Drinking Problem

Throughout history, alcohol has played a significant role in different cultures around the world. Alcohol is used by people as a way to relax, bond, celebrate, and socialize. In the United States, it is common for adults to drink with friends on weekends, at weddings and parties, or as a way to relax from work.

How To Help Someone With Alcohol Addiction

For many people, alcohol has a strong effect but when consumed in a moderate amount, it is not unhealthy or dangerous. Over time though, excessive drinking can develop into alcohol use disorder (AUD), or more commonly known as alcoholism. AUD is characterized by craving, physical and emotional dependence on alcohol, uncontrolled alcohol use, and negative emotions when not drinking. According to the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA), an estimated 15 million people in the United States have AUD.

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AUD is a chronic, relapsing brain disorder that can lead to significant health problems, including liver damage, depression, high blood pressure, heart failure, and certain types of cancers. It can also result in negative life consequences, such as strained relationships with loved ones, job loss, and arrests or jail time. In this article, we explore how to recognize the signs and symptoms of alcoholism.

Despite what movies and television shows portray, it’s not always easy to tell if someone has a problem with drinking. A person with alcoholism might not hang out in a bar all day or fall down after they’ve been drinking heavily. Some people seem fine and functional in their daily lives despite their alcohol addiction.

One of the early signs is a pattern of excessive drinking. This pattern includes both binge drinking and heavy drinking. Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women within two hours. Heavy drinking is 15 or more drinks per week for men and eight or more drinks per week for women. While drinking excessively from time to time does not mean someone has an alcohol addiction, it does increase the risk of developing AUD. Other early signs include:

If someone has at least two of these symptoms, they are considered to have AUD. The severity of AUD can range from mild to severe depending on the number of symptoms present:

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It is important to point out that even mild alcoholism can progress to severity, which is why seeking early treatment is important.

Depending on your specific goals and needs, there are many types of treatment programs and support resources available. Treatment may include:

Although alcoholism is a complex and challenging illness, it is treatable and manageable. Through a treatment plan, the brain and body can heal, while providing the support needed to regain control, improve your quality of life, and recover.

If your loved one needs help with alcohol addiction, contact us today. We are here to help you better understand your loved one and support them. Check out our eBook, “How to Help a Loved One Struggling with Substance Use Disorder,” for information about addiction and how to best help someone experiencing it while still taking care of your own mental health.

How To Help Someone With Alcohol Addiction

If you need help with your substance use disorder, we’re here to help you build your confidence and momentum toward the future you want. We provide treatment services for adults with alcohol, opioid, and other substance use disorders. We are currently located in Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, and Washington.

Dr. Harrison serves as Chief Medical Officer for Eleanor Health with more than 15 years of experience in the practice of medicine. He is a double-board certified physician with specialties in general adult psychiatry and addiction medicine. Dr. spent Harrison spent his career as a physician treating individuals from marginalized communities with substance use and other mental disorders. As a physician executive, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer roles focused on creating and improving system-based delivery of psychiatric and substance abuse care. She is a vocal advocate for reducing stigma, and is passionate about the need for whole-person care as individuals and communities seek to recover from and prevent substance use disorders.

It is almost always our first instinct to support our loved ones who are struggling in any way we can…

We’re here to help We know it’s hard to reach. Call today to speak with one of our recovery specialists. We will listen, learn, and offer support – without judgment. We welcome every person who needs support. Watching a loved one struggle with alcoholism can be difficult. Here, we outline how you can help them understand their condition and get the support they need.

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Medically reviewed blog by Sarina Wheatman (Emotional Freedom Technique Master Practitioner (EFT), Federation of Drug and Alcohol Professionals (FDAP) NCAC)

If you live with, or are close to an alcoholic, it can be difficult to know where to turn or what to do for the best. It’s likely that their behavior is having a negative impact not only on themselves, but on the people around them.

However, there are some things you can do to help them. Here, we outline some steps you can take to help an alcoholic, and also provide advice on how to encourage the person to get the professional alcohol addiction treatment they need.

A really helpful first step is to make sure you know how to spot the signs of a drinking problem. If you learn how to spot the signs, you’ll be better able to recognize the person’s unhealthy drinking and begin to develop an understanding of why they act the way they do.

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It is important that you try to have an open and honest conversation with your loved one about their drinking. This will give you a chance to voice your concerns and also let the person know that you are there for them and want to help. It can also help the person recognize that their drinking is having an effect on other people around them, acting as a kick-start to getting help.

It takes a lot to recognize that you have a problem in the first place, and then at social functions where other people are drinking and you’re not – that’s a huge challenge. You need to learn a new dialogue to explain why you don’t drink, and get comfortable with it.

When you care for someone with an alcohol problem, it can easily interfere with their functioning behaviors. Enabling refers to the things we do that allow the person to continue with their unhealthy drinking habits. Examples might include making excuses for their behavior to other people and calling in sick to work for them because they are hungover.

Even if you have the best intentions, enabling an alcoholic means that they are not given the opportunity to take any responsibility for their actions, which can cause them to abuse alcohol. Practicing ‘tough love’ can be difficult, but it is really important that the person addresses their issues and takes steps in the right direction.

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It can be exhausting when you worry about someone’s drinking, especially if you live with a functioning alcoholic or someone with an alcohol addiction. That’s why it’s also very important to take care of yourself during this time. Make sure you set aside some time for yourself each day, to do something relaxing or enjoyable. That could be listening to your favorite music, taking a hot bath or doing some exercise. Also, try to make sure you get enough sleep and eat healthy. Remember – you can’t pour from an empty cup.

You may also find it helpful to talk to someone you trust about what you’re going through. They may be able to give you words of advice and may support you to support the person with the drinking problem. Having a network of people around you that you can trust will be invaluable for your well-being and theirs.

You can also contact a support group such as Families Anonymous (Famanon) or Al-Anon. This will give you the opportunity to connect with people who are going through the same thing as you, and offer mutual advice, support and empathy.

Even if the above steps help, your loved one may need specialist alcohol treatment to help them overcome their drinking. That is why it is so important to support your loved one to reach out for help. Make sure they know you are there for them and will be as involved in their recovery process as they want.

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A first port of call may be for them to make an appointment to see their GP. You can offer to make an appointment for them, or suggest you go with them as moral support. Their GP will be able to assess their symptoms and drinking habits, and make recommendations for next steps.

The Priory offers the best in private treatment for people struggling with addiction. We can give