How To Support A Loved One Through Alcohol Sobriety

alcoholism in family, sad desperate wife and drunk husband on background, alcohol abuse at home

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing condition that can develop into addiction. It can cause serious harm to the ones suffering from it and the people around them. In 2020, motor vehicle crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers caused more than 11,000 deaths. As such, alcohol misuse can be fatal, especially when it comes to driving under the influence of it.

It can be challenging to watch a loved one go through AUD. This disorder can affect your relationship with them, whether they’re a spouse, child, sibling, or friend. Without proper knowledge of how to deal with them, simple conversations might lead to arguments. It can also trigger negative behaviors, leading to serious crimes like homicide or physical assault.

With this in mind, learning how to support your loved one through sobriety is essential. That way, they can recover from their addiction and move forward free from alcohol abuse. Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Recognize The Signs Of Alcohol Addiction

Most people will browse the internet—looking for ways to solve their dilemma. Some will search for options online using the terms ‘addiction treatment center near me’ to seek help from institutions. However, before considering a solution, educate yourself first about alcohol addiction.

Understanding alcohol use disorder can help you recognize the signs of alcohol abuse and alcoholism in your loved one. If you suspect your loved one is abusing alcohol or other drugs, several signs can indicate a problem.

Here are some of them:

  • Drunk driving accidents or arrests for drunk driving
  • Legal problems such as fighting at bars or getting arrested for public intoxication
  • Neglecting duties at work or home due to drinking, missing workdays, or failing school classes because of hangovers or blackouts from drinking alcohol excessively
  • Experiencing withdrawal symptoms like sweating, nausea, loss of appetite, and restlessness

If your loved one shows most of these signs, take the time to learn about what alcoholism looks like and how it affects their life. By understanding the signs of alcohol addiction, you can better recognize when they need help.

  1. Engage In Careful Conversations

Since you already know the signs associated with AUD, it’s time to initiate a conversation with your loved one. It can help them recognize the problem and take meaningful steps toward sobriety. However, being careful is also necessary to avoid arguments that might worsen the issue.

Below are six tips to help you when speaking with them about their alcohol addiction:

  • Create An Intervention: An intervention is a planned conversation with your loved one about their AUD. You can do this in a group setting with your family, where you can discuss the harmful effects of alcohol. Its goal is to encourage them to seek help as you support them throughout the process.
  • Talk About Your Worries: It’s essential to discuss your concerns if you worry about your loved one’s health. You can talk about what they’ve been doing while intoxicated and how often they drink. It can open a door for more meaningful conversations about their drinking habits.
  • Encourage Them To Open Up: As you talk about your concerns, let your loved one address the reasons that led them to excessive alcohol consumption. Some factors may include their social circle, proximity to retail stores, or turning to alcohol to ease pain and anxiety.
  • Minimize Unnecessary Arguments: When a loved one talks about their alcoholism, try to listen without judgment. Avoid sensitive topics that could trigger hostile or violent behavior. For instance, refrain from criticizing or making jokes about drinking too much. That way, they’ll feel more comfortable discussing their struggles with you.
  • Refrain From Emotional Appeals: As you talk to your loved one, you might feel tempted to bribe, preach, threaten, or punish them. For example, you may offer them money if they quit drinking. Given how expensive addiction is, this offer may tempt them. However, it’s counterproductive to helping your loved one get sober.
  • Avoid Negative Reactions: Don’t take it personally if they refuse to talk. It sometimes happens because they feel cornered when faced with criticism, especially coming from the ones close to them. So, instead of reacting poorly to their behavior, remain calm and patient. Be firm in your support for them through sobriety.

Remember that it might take a few conversations before your loved one can discuss their addiction. Thus, you’ll need patience and understanding when dealing with them.

  1. Find Local Treatment Programs

    Young man comforting and supporting a sad woman who is in serious trouble at home, Consolation and encouragement concept

When they’re ready to start recovery, you may now look for available diagnosis and treatment programs. These can help ease withdrawal symptoms, long-term aftercare planning, and treatment for other mental health issues. However, treatments may vary depending on your loved one’s needs.

Here are some of the most common options:

  • Oral Medications: They reduce cravings for alcohol and help prevent relapse by reducing the pleasurable effects of drinking alcohol. A patient can use them with psychotherapy to treat AUDs with severe physical symptoms or a high risk of relapse.
  • Psychological Counseling: It can help people cope with the stressors in their lives that might have led them to drink heavily in the first place.
  • Detox And Withdrawal: Alcohol withdrawal symptoms (AWS) can range from mild discomfort to life-threatening delirium tremens (DTs). The longer someone drinks heavily, the more severe their withdrawal symptoms will be. Medication can control withdrawal symptoms. It can help patients prevent experiencing severe side effects—like DTs or seizures—during detoxification from alcohol addiction.
  • Injected Medication: Most health institutions and recovery centers use it as a last resort for individuals who don’t respond well to other medications or therapies. Medical professionals will monitor the subject closely to check if they experience any complications during withdrawal.
  • Spiritual Practice: It includes prayer and meditation. These activities allow them to develop better coping skills, which may prevent relapse during recovery.

Now that you know available treatment options, it’s time to look for reliable treatment centers. You can find them through your local government website or by contacting local hospitals and health care providers.

  1. Accompany Them To Support Groups

As your loved one goes to a treatment facility, showing that you’re available for them is best. They may have a better chance of staying sober if they know that they have your support. Aside from that, they’ll see that you have their best interest in their recovery process rather than judging them poorly.

Accompanying them to support groups can significantly help your loved one. If possible, attend the meetings with them regularly. That way, they’ll feel more comfortable and less alone in their battle against alcoholism.

  1. Prepare For Their Relapse Episodes

In some cases, treatment can be a lifetime process. In other words, even after a patient returns home from the rehabilitation facility, there are instances when they’ll crave alcohol. Some may start associating with questionable individuals, leading them back to addiction. Others might have aggressive mood changes and avoid social events.

Understanding all the symptoms of relapse can be difficult for the patient and their family members. In such challenging cases, knowing how to address them effectively is essential to improve their condition.

Meanwhile, keeping up with the relapse episodes of a family member can make you feel as though you’re accountable for their actions. You may need to take on the responsibility of making them feel better.

Failure to set healthy boundaries can result in complications like blame, obsessive behavior, or even mental health issues. It’s often called co-dependency, which is more common than you think. When people recover from alcoholism or drug addiction, they tend to return to old habits when they feel stressed, bored, or lonely.

If there’s no one else around, it’ll be up to you to help them through these difficult times. However, try to set boundaries by reinforcing their behaviors. For example, if your loved one gets into legal trouble due to alcohol consumption, don’t bail them out. Another example is to cut off their financial support, especially if they still attend parties that involve heavy drinking.

In doing so, you’re making it clear that their behavior isn’t acceptable and that you don’t want them to return to their old destructive habits. This way, you can help them re-think their decisions and remind them of their progress in recovery.

Here’s how you can deal with their relapse episode:

  • Avoid Blaming Or Shaming Them: You should never blame your loved one for relapsing because it won’t help them. Chances are, they already feel ashamed as they go through relapses. This condition is what medical experts call the abstinence violation effect. It’s where people who relapse feel like they’ve failed in their goal of gaining sobriety.

Meanwhile, some individuals may feel even worse about themselves than before they began their journey toward alcohol sobriety. The best thing to do is to understand the reason behind their relapse. External factors, such as stress or lack of sleep, may trigger a relapse. Finding more ways to help them deal with these issues is best, so they won’t have to drink again.

  • Listen When They Need To Vent: Give your loved one time to vent their feelings if they come home after an episode. Let them rant about what happened at work or school that day or how bad they feel about relapsing again. Try to hear their side of the story to help you understand their struggles.
  • Learn How To Cope: As you deal with a loved one going through a relapse, learn how to cope with the situation. Search for healthy coping mechanisms to prevent these episodes from consuming your life. For instance, keeping a journal or speaking with a family member about it can help you manage.

You can also try meditative practices to keep yourself calm rather than responding with violent actions or words. You can process your emotions in individual therapy, expressing yourself without judgment. That way, when a loved one relapses again, you won’t feel like your whole world is falling apart.

  • Keep Alcohol Away From Your House: One of the most common reasons alcoholics fall back into drinking is because they have alcohol in their homes. Some people may have difficulty controlling their urges. Hence, the temptation to drink becomes too great for them to handle. So, throw your alcohol bottles out of your house to avoid tempting them.
  • Suggest Sobriety-Related Activities: If the reason why your loved one goes back to heavy drinking is boredom, it’s good to recommend fun activities for them to enjoy. You can invite them to play outdoor games like basketball or golf. You can also start figuring out how to play new board games. Alternatively, you may encourage them to try traditional practices like yoga, meditation, or tai chi. These activities can positively impact their mental health and give them something else to do besides drinking alcohol.
  • Encourage Healthy Living: Alcoholics will likely develop physical health issues like high blood pressure, heart and liver diseases, or weakened immune systems. Whether or not your loved one experience these problems, they need to switch to healthy living. You can encourage them to adopt sleep hygiene, eat healthy meals, or exercise daily. It can provide them with a sense of purpose instead of relying on alcohol to get relief.

With enough preparation, you can help your loved one minimize their relapse episodes. Aside from that, you can save yourself the burden of worrying about them as they go through alcohol sobriety.

Conclusion

Ultimately, helping someone go through alcohol addiction recovery is essential. Show your loved ones that you care about their well-being and only want what’s best for them. However, you must be careful when dealing with them as it could be a delicate situation. If you approach them incorrectly, they might feel defensive, resulting in a conflict.

So, talk to them calmly when you approach them. Remind them how overconsumption can affect their health and all the good reasons to quit alcohol. Once you persuade them to walk through recovery, you may present treatment options to help them overcome their addiction.

As they recover, they’re likely to have relapse episodes. These could lead to an intense craving, urging them to consume alcohol again. In this case, creating a plan can help you deal with the situation. That way, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed while assisting them in regaining control over their drinking habits.