Alcoholism is a very serious disease that affects many people around the world. Alcohol is addictive not only physically but also mentally – that is why starting treatment and abandoning drinking is extremely difficult and requires proper motivation. Many alcoholics emphasize, that they take up therapy only when the cost of drinking starts to outweigh the benefits of drinking alcohol. However, this moment may come too late, so an active alcoholic should be constantly encouraged to start treatment.
The codependence
People who most often want to encourage an alcoholic to stop drinking are members of the immediate family. In many cases, codependence makes it difficult to take appropriate action. The alcoholic often intimidates his family. The spouse and children feel dependent on the alcoholic, they are afraid to take any action to improve the situation. The key to changing this state is therefore breaking your own pathology and seeking professional help. It may come from addiction therapists or from the thematic literature, also available on the internet.
How to talk with an alcoholic?
Effective conversation, as a result of which the alcoholic is to receive treatment, should be carried out with a few good practices. Follow our tips on how to talk to an alcoholic to encourage him to therapy.
First of all, it’s worth remembering that the alcoholic’s emotions are controlled by alcohol. Therefore, his reactions to (even very logical) arguments will consist mainly of anger and rage. Alcoholics often use the mechanism of repression, trying to prove to themselves and others that they have no problem with an alcohol. They also prefer to transfer their feelings on the closest people, manipulating them to think, that in fact the family is the main source of drinking problems. You need to be aware of this kind of practices, preparing yourself for keeping patient no matter what.
Anyone who wants an addicted person to start alcoholism treatment should also prepare for a tough conversation encouraging therapy. This preparation should include both the place and time of the conversation itself as well as the convincing set of arguments. The interlocutor should feel confident in his own role. And remember, that temporary sobriety of an alcoholic is not a reason to avoid the subject of their disease. This is the most appropriate time to strengthen the effectiveness of arguments.
You should be also prepared for the defensive mechanisms of an alcoholic, which may appear during the conversation. Try not to accuse each other or manifest a grudge, which could only arouse negative emotions in alcoholics. Support is important, but it should be limited. Thanks to your statement, an alcoholic can finally realize how much he will lose by giving up treatment.
When quoting arguments, it is worth focusing on the negative effects of alcohol consumption – which is felt by the surrounding and the closest family of an alcoholic. The result of the entire conversation should be an indication that the first step to solve the problem is addiction therapy.
An effective help in getting treatment
The decision to start treatment is very difficult. For the treatment to be effective, the alcoholic must start it with his own will. Forcing an addict to therapy is not a good solution. If you want to help an alcoholic, you should also remember about your own needs and safety. Sometimes you have to retreat and allow the addict to reach the bottom to be able to try again to persuade him to heal.