How To Help An Alcoholic

Alcoholism is a huge problem. If you think someone you love is an alcoholic, you’re right to be worried. It’s a hard path to recovery, but help is available for those who need it. The first step towards treatment for an alcohol use disorder is to reach out to a service like ours.

Whether it’s a friend or family member who’s drinking too much, it’s crucial to get them the help they need. Here at Verve Healthcare, we understand how difficult it can be to find the right help for an alcoholic. Our referral service is ideal if you want to help a loved one find a suitable rehabilitation clinic to attend; we can assist with most types of addiction.

Attending rehab is the best step you can take to overcome an addiction to alcohol. We work closely with individuals seeking help, finding the best-suited rehab centre for them to visit, so that each rehab clinic we choose has the facilities to accommodate their needs and requirements.
 

Helping Someone With an Alcohol Addiction

If you think someone you love is drinking too much, it can be hard to accept. Alcoholics need to fully recognise the problem within themselves before they accept that they need help to recover from alcohol misuse. It’s crucial to offer your support when someone is battling alcohol addiction.

Sometimes, other family members and friends will stay away from your loved one. This is usually because they don’t know how to support them, or believe they will have a negative reaction if they try to help. Consuming alcohol every day is dangerous and comes with many negative consequences.

Your advice and support could help an alcoholic see their problems more clearly. If your loved one is an alcoholic, they’re likely to deny how much they drink. This can make it difficult to determine whether or not they have a drinking problem. Let’s cover how you recognise an alcoholic, to begin with. 

Secret Drinking

If someone you know is spending time drinking in secret, they might have an alcohol addiction. Secret drinking means that they could be hiding what they do from you. This hiding is caused by shame because they know what they are doing isn’t right or that it’s likely to hurt them. With this knowledge, they disguise their actions and drink in secret. 

Staying Out All Night

If your loved one is frequently not returning home at night, they could be participating in activities that involve drinking or drug use. When you have a drug and alcohol problem (or just alcohol), it’s not uncommon to stay out all night drinking. 

Can’t Turn Alcohol Down

A families and friends addiction is clear when they can’t turn alcohol down. No matter the time of day, alcoholics will struggle to say no to an alcoholic beverage. It might be that your loved one is drinking at an inappropriate time of the day, or at work.

It could be that they’re drinking all day, with their friendship group tempting them to drink more. If your close friend or family member can’t physically say no to drinking, they’re probably suffering from alcohol addiction. 

Has to Drink Every Day

Your loved one could possibly be an alcoholic if they need to drink alcohol every single day and this isn’t normal behaviour for an average human being. Most of us can go days on end without a drink, often indulging at the weekend.

If you’re waking up every morning with a hangover, you have a drinking problem. In some cases, alcoholics need financial support to be able to afford to drink every day. 

The Main Warning Signs of Alcohol Abuse

It’s a scary realisation when you recognise that your loved one is suffering from alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. Having a partner, parent, or friend who’s addicted to drinking alcohol is terrifying for those who haven’t had any experience helping alcoholics.

It can be difficult to know where to turn when someone you know is suffering from alcoholism. Luckily, services like ours exist, which allows you to stay calm as we provide all the support you need in finding the right rehab for them to attend to make a long term recovery.

If you suspect that someone close to you is an alcoholic, there are a plethora of signs you can look out for. You can try and spot changes in their physical behaviour; how is their health? Are their cheeks beginning to sink?

If your loved one is unable to get their hands on a drink, they could start to display withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms tend to differ depending on how severe the addiction is, but there are some clear signs to look out for.

Shaking, sweating, nausea, irritability, restlessness, anxiety, mood swings, and depression spells are indicators that your loved one can’t be without alcohol. In more severe cases, long-term alcoholics could have seizures or begin hallucinating. When these signs start to appear, it’s important to talk openly and try to get them the help they require. 

What to Do When Your Loved One Is an Alcoholic

If you think your loved one has an alcohol addiction, urge them to get in touch with us here at Verve Healthcare. Rehab is the best place for an alcoholic to attend; they’ll be offered an array of different treatment options for alcohol use disorders while being able to  address any mental health problems.

Rehab is a safe space, and they’ll be surrounded by medical professionals at all times. Although attending rehab means experiencing some major life changes, it puts your life back on the right track. Your loved one will be able to stop their drinking habits while being offered a tailored treatment plan.

It can be difficult to stop drinking, and it’s common for alcohol withdrawal symptoms to occur. The recovery process is an emotional rollercoaster for both you and your loved one. They’ll need the most support when they’re going through the withdrawal process.

Whether it’s a family member or friend, being there for your loved one during their battle with addiction is key. It might seem difficult to know how to help an alcoholic, but not when you have us by your side. We aim to find the best rehab for them to attend to overcome alcohol abuse.

Tailored Support for Alcohol Addiction Near You

If you want to kickstart your loved one’s recovery, reach out to us today. Here at Verve Healthcare, we refer individuals suffering from alcohol addiction to a safe and reliable rehabilitation centre. 

At rehab, they’ll go through the detoxification process under medical supervision while learning new coping skills and having access to effective therapy sessions and support groups (individuals coming together to provide mutual support, encouragement, and guidance to each other in overcoming addiction). If you’d like to find out more about our services, please contact us today. We’re here to answer any questions or concerns you might have.