Alcohol-free life: Helping your loved ones reach sobriety

Are you living with an Alcoholic?

Have you ever thought as to what makes a person living with around an alcoholic feel so helpless? They don’t know what is going on or what will happen to them or their loved one in the future. The uncertainty of the actions and events makes them sick, scared and tired. The environment becomes so unhealthy that they feel nothing but helpless as they don’t want to be stuck in the same situation nor do they want to leave their loved one alone. Living with an alcoholic can be extremely difficult unless they are actively trying to resolve the problem.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your partner or loved one is an alcoholic, watch out for these signs.

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Alcohol Addiction Signs

Unpredictable Behaviour

An alcoholic often exhibits unpredictable, erratic behaviour which leads to chaos and stress in their social lives and in the lives of their family members. They argue, abuse others mentally and physically, display impulsive actions without considering the consequences. An alcoholic’s behaviour makes it extremely difficult for the caregiver to be patient and supportive all the time.

Deception and Lies

Deception is one of the real factors seen in alcohol addicts. They often resort to lying to preserve their addiction and to avoid confrontations. Most of them constantly lie about things that may affect their relationships and trouble their caregivers.

Domestic Violence

This is a common issue in cases of alcohol addicts. Addicts often lose self-control and behave in an aggressive way with their partners.

Guilt

An alcoholic usually repents for what has happened on the previous day or their misbehaviour while drunk. They apologize for hurting others, however, they often keep repeating the same mistakes.

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Ways to help your loved one quit drinking alcohol

•    Get equipped: First, to help someone else you should ensure that you have enough knowledge about the issue. Before helping others you need to learn the signs, symptoms and effects of addiction. You can also consult a mental health professional to give you reliable information about the available treatment options in order to equip you with proper caregiving skills.
•    Be honest: If you feel and are sure enough that someone close to you needs help, tell them. It is better to tell them than some other person. Apart from this, let them know you are concerned about their condition and motivate them to get help. Remember that there is no use ignoring their behaviour and hoping that they will gradually come out of it.
•    Involve others: Share your concerns about the individual with others who are important to that person and who might be able to assist them get the help they need. Though it is a risky step but it can be quite effective, you need to be careful about whom to involve. Ask them to talk and motivate the alcoholic person for recovery.
•    Encourage, not force: While being concerned, there are times that you might sound like you are forcing them. You do need to show concerns but along with that let them make the decision for themselves. If you try to force them into something, it might backfire. Also, do not agree with false promises of cutting off the habit. Encourage them to take a professional treatment program.
•    Be with them throughout: After they agree and join in a treatment program, your role still continues. Show them encouragement and support while they are taking the treatment. It is at this stage that social support is essential as the journey becomes difficult for the individual.
•    Be careful of how you behave with them: Keep in mind your ways to show support and encouragement are not labelling the individual. There are also chances that they might want to manipulate you and seek excuses to engage in the addictive habit.

Seeking Professional Treatment

Alcoholism is best treated with professional care and family support. It does not go away on its own and unless there’s a methodical treatment plan with the right support and intervention, the chances of relapse are high.

For the majority of people, detox is the first measure in handling alcoholism. People with significant levels of physiological alcohol dependence, who try to abruptly stop drinking alone could be dangerous, as serious complications, including withdrawal seizures, may happen. A well-supervised medical detox period is necessary to keep a person safe and comfortable throughout withdrawal.  

For people at more risk of severe withdrawal, numerous days of inpatient treatment—either in a hospital-based setting or long-term rehabilitation facility can medically handle acute alcohol withdrawal. It may also be required to stabilize a person in early recovery. After fully successful withdrawal management through medical detox, a period of more comprehensive rehabilitation may start.

Helping an alcoholic to quit drinking alcohol can be a challenging journey and you should constantly support them but also ensure they do not depend on you. It is also important that you take help for yourself when you feel overwhelmed. If you still feel lost on how to help someone with alcoholism, don’t worry. We are here to help.

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Why choose Cadabams for Alcohol Rehab?

Cadabams is one of the best alcohol rehab centres that offer evidence-based solutions and treatments. One of the leading Alcohol and Drug rehabilitation centres in Bangalore, Cadabams Anunitha is committed to producing successful recovery outcomes by personalizing drug and alcohol rehabilitation process for addicts with different struggles and unique challenges.

For a complete focus on recovery without stress or distractions, Anunitha’s inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation is the best choice. Anunitha’s inpatient alcohol rehab centre and drug rehab centre has personalized support from medical staff and round-the-clock care. A holistic treatment plan is customised based on the patient’s needs.

The dedicated team at Anunitha uses clinically-proven treatment approaches to treat substance and drug abuse. From group therapies, family therapy, alcohol, and drug detoxes, 12 step programs and more, there are varied treatment approaches that are used to ensure long term recovery for the patients.  A supervised medical program helps in preventing complications and hallucinations, the most common drug withdrawal symptoms. There’s also a strong aftercare session with mentors and support groups to prevent relapses. A support group for caregivers and family members is also present to ensure steady recovery and constant support.  

You can call us on our de-addition helpline +91 96111 94949 for further details on getting alcohol treatment in India or any alcoholism-related emergencies.

Disclaimer – We strive to treat our patients with dignity and the utmost sensitivity. We understand that addiction is a disease and that it is not a sign of weakness. The term alcoholic, alcoholism or addicts is used not in a derogatory fashion but to remain relevant to user search trends and common usage.–

It is important to note that addiction should be referred to as ‘substance use disorder’ to better address the effects of this psychological condition. Words like addict, junkie, etch should be avoided as they place the blame on the individual. Individuals/person/people suffering from substance use disorder or substance dependence syndrome should be used. In case you or a loved are struggling with alcohol abuse and share a unique viewpoint on how we can improve this content for our readers, please reach out to us on info@cadabams.org

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