Dealing with alcoholism is hard. There is no one way to help a friend to quit drinking and get their life back on track. What works for some people, won’t work for others.
Helping your friend to stop drinking will mean a lot of trial and error, and will be a somewhat lengthy process. But if your friend manages to quit the bottle for good, all the time and effort you have put into helping them will be worth it.
Many people wrongly believe that you can’t help an alcoholic and that the only one who can help them is themselves. But this isn’t true. While you can’t make someone stop drinking, you can help them to quit.
Below is a guide to all the best ways you can help your friend quit drinking for good and get their life back on track:
Talk to them
The first step on the road to recovery is getting your friend to admit that they have a problem. If they aren’t willing to talk about it, then they aren’t ready to quit. It might be hard to hear, but if they aren’t ready, then they won’t be successful. Don’t try and force them, just let them know that when they are ready to talk, you will be there.
If your friend is willing to admit that things have got out of control, that’s a fantastic first step. They might struggle to admit it, but once they have it will be easier to help them and get them back on track.
Don’t go it alone
Don’t make the mistake of trying to help and support your friend on your own, you are more likely to be successful if you have help.
Join a support group for carers of alcoholics and use it to gain as much knowledge and understanding of the disease as possible. You might not be the one suffering from it, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need support too.
Speak to a doctor
As well as joining a support group, make an appointment to speak to your doctor. Ask them to give you advice on the best ways to deal with the situation and what the best methods are for helping your friend.
Get your friend to a clinic
If you are struggling to help your friend, it might be time to convince them to go to a specialist clinic or rehabilitation center. You might find that your friend drags their heels about this a bit, but explain to them how important it is that they get the help they need.
You might be able to help your friend, but you don’t have all the specialist training and know how to deal with every issue. Although it might be hard, the best thing you can do is book them on a First Step alcohol detox program and get them the help they need.
Be there
If your friend makes the decision to get professional help, make sure that you are there to support them the whole time. While you may not be allowed to visit them, make sure to keep in contact with them via the internet and phone calls.
Once your friend has completed their time at a rehabilitation center, the hard part will begin. Your friend might have stayed on the wagon while in treatment, but now they are back in the real world, they will need lots of help and support.
Helping a friend through alcoholism isn’t easy, but if you manage to help them quit for good, it’s more than worth it.
