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Talk to a professional, like a counselor, therapist, or social worker, so they can help you understand the genetic and lifestyle components of alcoholism. Twelve Step meetings provide the opportunity for a newly sober person to find a substitute for their drinking. In programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholics can replace an unhealthy network of drinking buddies with a group of authentic, recovering friends. They’ll learn what it means to break old habits, how to take new and better action, and to live by spiritual principles (think honesty, responsibility, integrity, and humility). Supporting an alcoholic by taking them to a meeting can be beneficial to their recovery.
Enabling occurs when someone else covers up or makes excuses for the person who has a SUD. As a result, the person with a SUD doesn’t deal with the consequences of their actions. You don’t have to create a crisis, but learning detachment will help you allow a crisis—one that may be the only way to create change—to happen. Treatment typically involves a mix of private and group counseling sessions, behavioral therapies, medications, and support groups. Mental health and wellness tips, our latest guides, resources, and more.
Supporting Vs. Enabling
When your loved one enters an alcoholism treatment program, they may receive a number of treatments. Many rehab centers take a holistic approach to addiction treatment, crafting an individualized program based on your loved one’s needs, symptoms, and co-occurring conditions. Seeking professional treatment is the most important step someone with AUD can take.
- The best treatment option for your loved one depends largely on the depth of their drinking problem, the stability of their living situation, and any other health issues they may be facing.
- Before you do anything, it’s important to know whether your friend or loved one has an alcohol addiction.
- You can also join a support group for loved ones of alcoholics to learn from the experiences of others in similar situations.
- However, there are certain things you can do that may help relieve the pressure, and in some cases, also better help your loved one start their path to recovery.
- Alcoholism can lead to emotional, physical, mental, and financial abuse and neglect of children of all ages.
- But if knowing the difference between right and wrong could solve their problem, then they would have been “cured” ages ago.
If this happens, it is not your fault, regardless of how supportive you’ve been. Get professional help from BetterHelp’s network of 30,000 licensed therapists. Get matched and schedule your first video, phone or live chat session in as little as 48 hours. Women for Sobriety – Organization dedicated to helping women overcome addictions.
Supportive tips
If your loved one drank because of boredom, anxiety, or loneliness, for example, those problems will still be present once they’re sober. Encourage the person to find healthier ways of coping with life’s problems and rebounding from setbacks without leaning on alcohol. When someone spends a lot of time drinking (and recovering from drinking), quitting or cutting down can leave a huge hole in their lives. Encourage sober house your loved one to develop new hobbies and interests that don’t involve drinking. The best treatment option for your loved one depends largely on the depth of their drinking problem, the stability of their living situation, and any other health issues they may be facing. While it’s important to be open and honest about your concerns, you need to remember that you cannot force someone to stop abusing alcohol.
Alcohol dependence can result in serious life consequences, such as health problems, legal issues, or difficulty with work or school. Seeking treatment for AUD in its early stages can help your loved one avoid these impacts later in life. While individuals will experience AUD in different ways, certain symptoms are more common than others. Therapy may be used in combination with medications and continued after a formal rehabilitation program has been completed. Talk therapy, family therapy, and group therapy are all known to be beneficial to those trying to stay sober.
