From the outside, it seems simple. All they have to do is stop drinking. You’ll help them, guide them, and be there through the hard detox process. Yet, no matter what you do, your friend or family member does not stop drinking. Should you give up?
Recognizing the signs of alcohol addiction in another person is a critical indicator of the need for professional treatment. What may be just a drink to you is a chemical that’s altering the function and structure of their brain. Alcohol addiction is not something you can treat at home, but there are many ways you can help your family member find treatment and stick with it.
Signs Your Family Member Needs Alcohol Addiction Help
Alcohol addiction is a disease, one that is often characterized by an inability to stop using alcohol even if the person wants to. From the outside, you may notice the following signs of alcohol addiction:
- A constant need to drink or always talking about drinking
- Lacking the ability to work as they used to, do activities they used to, or maintain responsibilities at home
- Changes in mental health and cognition, often forgetting or struggling to understand concepts
- Being caught engaging in reckless behavior such as DUIs or drinking at work
- Mixing drugs and alcohol
- Needing to drink an increasingly higher amount of alcohol to get relief or reach intoxication
If you notice symptoms like these in your family member, it is often time for alcohol addiction treatment. But then what?
Steps to Helping Your Family Member Get Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Alcohol addiction treatment may be the most important, life-changing strategy for many people with a substance use disorder. Getting them to accept treatment and start on this path is not always simple. So how do you begin? Consider these strategies:
Discuss the Reality of Continued Use
A person with a substance use disorder must come to accept the reality of their addiction before they are willing to get help for it. Provide them with a fair and level-headed conversation about what you are seeing that concerns you. This might include:
- Telling them that the level of their alcohol consumption is starting to scare you.
- Providing specific examples of times when they missed responsibilities, got in trouble at work, or got pulled over for a DUI because of their drinking.
- Discussing what their continued use has done to your relationship–as well as to their relationships with other family members and friends.
- Providing examples of changes to their health.
Be specific and honest without exaggerating. The key here is to get them to see the changes that have occurred.
Talk to an Alcohol Addiction Treatment Program
When you contact our team at Iron Bridge Recovery Center, we can offer information to you about program availability as well as what steps to take next. We can speak to you about our alcohol detox and residential treatment programs, giving you insight into how they may help your family member.
While we cannot admit a person without their consent, we can offer to speak with them directly, give them a tour of our facility, and provide any information they need to make their decision. We can give you information about cost and insurance as well.
Be Clear About What Can and Can’t Do for Your Family Member
Be honest with yourself and with them. If they get into treatment, what will you do to help them? That could include helping them with family responsibilities, picking up the phone when they call, and providing emotional support during the recovery process. Do not make promises you cannot keep.
Then, be authentic about what you will stop doing if they continue to use alcohol. That may include no longer providing them with a place to live, money to buy alcohol or pay for other costs, or allowing them to be around you while intoxicated. Again, do not make statements you cannot reinforce.
Then, give them the choice of getting help. Assure them that you’ll be with them throughout the admissions process.
Let Our Team Guide You
At Iron Bridge Recovery Center, our trusted, dedicated, and compassionate team is ready to help you. Contact our team now to learn more about helping your family member get into treatment.
