How Do I Know Someone Needs Alcoholism Help?
Before someone approaches another person with an offer of alcoholism help there is usually a period of time where they question their assumptions. They question what they are seeing with their own eyes and ascertaining with their other senses. Some might call this denial. Others would say they just want to give the person they care about the benefit of the doubt before they offer them alcoholism help. The reality is we usually hesitate due to a combination of reasons. They can include:
- We don’t want to embarrass the other person or make them uncomfortable.
- There is uncertainty about whether or not the person actually needs alcoholism help.
- What to say or how to approach the person is a complete mystery to us. Where to begin?
- Where the person could go for treatment or how we could actually help is an unknown factor.
Whatever the reasons for hesitation may be, the fact you are reading these words is a sign that the person you are worried about probably does need help for alcoholism. When you’re unsure about something like this, it’s OK to trust your instincts. Consider this: Your intentions are honorable and you are genuinely concerned for someone’s well-being. When in doubt, go with your gut.
What Form Does Alcoholism Help Take?
Once you have made a decision to offer someone help for alcoholism the next step is figuring out what your approach will be. In some cases, it might be as simple as just letting the person know that you are willing to help them if they decide their drinking is out of hand and they want to stop. The other extreme would be staging a professional intervention with family members and friends involved. In between those two bookends of alcoholism help, there are a range of possibilities. So how do you know what direction to take? It will depend on the situation. There are few things you want to consider here:
- How severe have the consequences of this person’s drinking been thus far?
- What level of willingness to accept alcoholism help are you anticipating you will encounter?
- Does the person have other family or loved ones who might help give you leverage?
- Are there resources available like health insurance or finances which could help with treatment?
Executing a Plan
Your best bet is to marshal your resources here. If the person has had some consequences due to their drinking already, make a note of them for your conversation. If there are people who might help you convince them to accept help, talk to them and consider an intervention. The intervention approach can be especially helpful when all else has failed or you are expecting to be shut down entirely. Whatever the angle of your approach is though, you need a plan. If the person says ‘yes’ to your offer of alcoholism help, what does that look like?
Ideally you don’t want to wait until they say yes to figure it out. It’s a lot wiser to investigate the possibilities first. If you’ve checked out a program like Blue Hills Recovery and you believe they have health insurance or a way to attend treatment, then you are in a much better position. When they accept alcoholism help, you can actually show them what you have in mind. Having a website ready for them to look at or a video to watch can help alleviate fears and allow them to realize that this is really happening. They will see that not only are you serious and you have taken the time to do the homework. But they will also see that there’s a solution in sight.
Offering Help for Alcoholism
Asking someone to accept alcoholism help may feel like you are offering them something, but to the person with an alcohol use disorder, it can feel more like you are just asking them to give something up. Often their mind will go to their place of worry. They’ll imagine life without the numbing effects of alcohol. Every invasive thought and worry returning to crowd their mind. Anger and irritability. Sleepless nights. Boredom. Social anxiety. Whatever problems they use alcohol to “solve” may seem like they will just return unabated. This is why having a treatment plan is critical. The key things to remember in approaching someone with an offer of alcoholism help are:
- Avoid blame or shame. Come from a place of love and trust. Make sure they know most of all you want help.
- Listen to what they have to say. You need to do some talking, but don’t do it all.
- Have a plan ready if they accept the help and put it in motion right away. Willingness can be fleeting.
- Don’t push too hard, but don’t enable or be codependent either. This is serious and it’s ok to say so.
There is a Solution to the Problem
The professional alcoholism help available at a drug and alcohol rehab center is a solution. You can explain it that way too. These people know how to help. They understand alcoholism and they aren’t going to let you be uncomfortable and anxious. Their whole job is to help you get through this and have a solid foundation so you don’t have to battle for your sobriety when you graduate. That is why these programs exist. Blue Hills Recovery would love the opportunity to be part of your solution. Please give Blue Hills Recovery a call at (508) 68-0115 and we’ll walk you through the options and what you can do to help your loved one.