What are Some Ways to Help an Alcoholic?

There are many ways to try and help a struggling alcoholic, but not many of them are very effective.  For example, threatening them, turning them into the police, and beating them up physically are all things that have definitely been tried in the past, but do not necessarily produce good results.  So what are some ways that you can make a positive difference in the life of an alcoholic?  Let’s take a look.

* Go to an Al-Anon meeting yourself.  This does not sound like it can directly help an alcoholic, but it is still probably the most important thing you can do to help them.  The key here is that you will learn how to behave around them and how to avoid enabling them in any way.  The people at Al-anon can help you to learn what is healthy behavior on your part and what will help move the alcoholic closer to real change.

* Offer to take them to rehab as your only form of assistance.  Do they need money for groceries?  Sorry, no can do.  Do they need to be bailed out of jail?  Can’t help you.  Do they need money to get their kids clothes for school?  Again, nice try, but still not gonna do it.  It is all manipulation in the end, and the only thing you should help them with directly is a trip to rehab. Helping alcoholics is not always an easy thing to do, because you have to be strong with yourself in the end.

* Ignore their antics and manipulations.  Even go so far as to ignore their anger at you.  When you ignore their outbursts, you force them to take a look back at themselves, and acknowledge their disease instead of shifting their focus on to their anger at you.  Stop helping them, stop enabling them, and start ignoring them unless they are being honest with themselves and with you.

Tagged as:  help an alcoholic · helping alcoholics