How to help a drinking person if he does not want to? How to help an alcoholic if he does not want to be treated himself.

Health 15.10.2019
Health

Alcoholism - everyone knows that this is a disease and a very serious one, which begins through the fault of one hundred percent of the person himself. It starts with the smallest, then the person is drawn in and becomes a chronic alcoholic.

In this article I will tell you about the causes and signs of alcoholism. How to avoid or relieve alcohol hangovers. How can you help those who suffer from alcoholism.

What herbs will help in the treatment of alcoholism at home. You will learn about all this by reading the article. What and how to do to help an alcoholic.

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a chronic disease that affects not only the alcoholic, but also the people around him. Especially relatives who get the most from such a patient.

The person becomes addicted both mentally and physically. The degradation is complete, which cannot be ignored. Diseases of internal organs begin, metabolism is disturbed.

Is crashing nervous system and very seriously. Comes to white fever. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. My friend's husband drank himself to delirium tremens and hanged himself. He was then so as not to be mistaken, so 26 years old.

Alcoholic hallucinosis. They are mostly auditory hallucinations. The same thing happened to my friend's husband. Remained Small child. Of course, then she arranged her life, and the child was left without a father.

Alcohol addiction can happen to anyone. Not necessarily from the heredity of the environment or personality traits. A person who constantly consumes alcohol can develop alcohol dependence.

It is possible, of course, to become an alcoholic by inheritance, but not always. Basically it is a long heavy drunkenness. A person who drinks like this is sure that there is nothing wrong with it. But how deeply he is mistaken!

The tendency to alcoholism is not only from heredity, but also from family relations, and from traditions, which in some families very often remind of themselves. Often the problem of alcoholism is the environment.

Consequences of alcoholism:

  • The psyche of an alcoholic is destroyed and it is very dangerous for the brain
  • personal degradation occurs
  • alcoholics find it difficult to communicate
  • losing interest in oneself
  • Losing interest in their appearance
  • depression
  • Bad mood
  • indifference to everything

But that's not all, the problem of alcoholism is a violation of sexual activity. The man becomes impotent, and the woman's menstrual cycle is disturbed.

Signs of alcoholism

The main signs of alcoholism are:

  • irresistible desire to drink alcohol
  • loss of control - that is, no willpower to give up alcohol
  • physical addiction

hangover syndrome

Hangover syndrome, what is it:

  • pulsating headache upon morning awakening
  • dry mouth
  • nausea
  • sweating
  • weakness
  • apathy
  • forgetfulness
  • slow reaction

What causes a hangover syndrome is that you drank too much and did not control yourself. The result of a hangover syndrome is dehydration of the body after drinking alcohol. This phenomenon occurs after the decomposition of alcohol in the body.

How to help an alcoholic

Every alcoholic needs help; he can't handle it on his own. So he needs advice. Not just advice, but to whom he can turn to get real help.

1. Self-help: you need to ask a doctor who can prescribe a special drug.

2. Help of a psychotherapist: a person who abuses alcohol needs mental and psychological help. Only a psychotherapist or psychologist can provide significant assistance.

How to avoid an alcohol hangover

  • do not drink on an empty stomach
  • drink in moderation
  • the absorption of alcohol will slow down thanks to a glass of milk that you drink before drinking alcohol
  • dilute alcoholic drink with water
  • do not mix alcoholic beverages
  • drink more water before and after drinking alcohol

How to relieve alcohol hangover pain

  • drink a cup of any herbal tea every hour
  • will help improve the condition of a walk in the fresh air
  • drink as much water as possible, at least eight hundred nine hundred milliliters
  • drink activated charcoal
  • drink cucumber pickle, curdled milk or Apple vinegar diluted with water
  • to increase blood sugar, reduce feelings of weakness, dizziness, have a light snack
  • don't drink alcohol
  • it is good to sweat in a hot bath

Treatment of alcoholism at home

Very effective helpers in the treatment of alcoholism are medicinal herbs. Basically, herbs act as poisoning agents for alcohol and do not harm the body.

These herbs will help:

Common lamb. What is the essence of treatment with this herb? She develops a reflex of aversion to alcohol. Four days after the last drink of alcohol, give half a glass of fresh decoction to drink on an empty stomach.

Decoction recipe:

Pour ten grams of raw materials with one glass of boiling water and boil for ten minutes.

After fifteen minutes, let the patient first sniff vodka or wine, and then drink. After a while, maybe after fifteen minutes or after three hours, vomiting will begin, which is repeated several times. Give alcohol before every vomiting. Aversion to alcohol will come after two or three sessions.

Ordinary centaury. For alcoholism, drink a decoction of one tablespoon three times a day. Take one tablespoon of a mixture of wormwood herbs and centaury grass in a ratio of 1: 4 and pour a two-hundred-gram glass of boiling water.

European hoof. For alcoholism, drink a decoction of the roots of this plant. Drinking a person suffering from alcoholism should be imperceptible to him. This mixture causes vomiting and you need to drink for several days. Until a person develops a strong aversion to alcohol. In a glass of boiling water, five grams of the roots of the plant. Mix imperceptibly one tablespoon of decoction with half a glass of vodka and let the alcoholic drink.

Licorice naked. If chronic alcoholism, drink a decoction of one glass three times a day fifteen minutes before eating from this mixture: one hundred grams of horsetail and licorice pour three liters of boiling water.

There are a lot of medicinal herbs that can treat alcoholism, relieve hangovers and generally bring our body back to normal. I tried to give simple recipes that will help you effectively cope with alcoholism.

Be healthy and happy.

Video - Methods of getting rid of alcoholism

The conscious behavior of an alcoholic becomes a dream not only of his loved ones, but also of the drinker himself. Many alcoholics are smart, erudite people who drink not because of their low social status or meager intellect, but because of completely different, unconscious reasons.

Any alcoholic needs acceptance and support. It has long been proven that alcoholism grows on deep spiritual dissatisfaction, lack of love and faith in oneself, on unwillingness to live. That is why the first thing you can do is help drinking person- to change not his, but his own behavior. The existing concept of codependency reveals in detail the characteristics of the behavior of people who are ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of another person. It is this sacrifice and at the same time the desire to control someone that gives rise to aggression, which pours out on the drinker. Feeling constant pressure, rejection and own guilt, the alcoholic only sinks deeper into his addiction.

Pressure and reproaches of relatives are a categorical taboo when dealing with an alcoholic.

With the help of a consultation with a narcologist, you can get a clear program of your own actions in relation to an addicted person. This is the first and only true step towards real recovery. But the second step must be taken by the alcoholic himself, who either wants to change his life or not. Building illusions and believing that someone can be cured with the help of violent intervention is useless.

But you can't even try. There is always a chance that a person will be freed from his problem. The method of treating alcoholism is always the same: patiently following the doctor's advice, strictly following his instructions. Moreover, it must be taken into account that not only the drinker, but also his relatives living nearby should receive advice from a narcologist.

What ways do not keep you from wanting to drink?

Firstly, we are talking about folk remedies . There is a strong belief that if you put herbs or mixtures of drugs in food or drink, then a person will have an aversion to alcohol and his desire to drink will come to naught.

In fact, such recipes give a physical aversion to alcohol and, of course, can provoke a persistent rejection reflex if vomiting or pain begins after using the remedy. An alcoholic can associate malaise with drinking and will actually become more careful. But these methods do not eliminate the psychological craving for drinking, and when the unpleasant sensations are forgotten, he will start drinking again. There are ways of "miraculous" healing, but it should be borne in mind that in addition to the use of means, there was a strong faith, unconditional love for a person and unconditional support for an alcoholic, which is extremely important in integrated approach to treatment.

Medical preparations from melancholy, nervous disorders, insomnia. They categorically cannot be used without the supervision of a doctor, and even more so when mixed with alcohol. The consequences can be the most unpredictable, up to lethal outcome. And medication alone has not yet helped any alcoholic to stop drinking.

Pressure, threats, suggestions. Completely useless actions, especially if alcoholism has passed into the chronic stage. This is a simple waste of time, since the alcoholic eventually becomes unable to perceive information critically, and only a critical shock and simultaneous impact on the psyche can change his outlook on life. That is, methods of hypnosis, rehabilitation, psychological help and competent work with the environment of the drinker - a set of actions where not a single item can be missed. Treatment of alcoholism is always a complex event.

The editors would like to thank the specialists of the Alcomed company for their help in preparing the material.

It is very hard to watch how alcoholism destroys the life of your friend or family member. As a rule, a patient with alcoholism needs to undergo a course of rehabilitation in order to receive full-fledged help. If you want to help, you must first determine whether the person is indeed an alcoholic. And only then start helping your friend get the right treatment.

Steps

Part 1

Ask the person to stop drinking

    Look for signs of alcoholism. Having a drinking problem doesn't mean you're completely alcoholic. Problems with alcoholism can be solved and overcome by the patient himself, but the treatment of the disease "alcoholism" requires external intervention. Typically, the symptoms of alcoholism are:

    • Problems at school and at work, such as being late or absent from work due to a hangover
    • Frequent memory lapses after drinking
    • Problems with the law due to drinking, such as arrests for being drunk in in public places or drunk driving
    • Inability to leave a glass of alcohol half full or be near alcohol and not drink it
    • Consistent binge drinking and hangovers
    • Relationships affected by alcohol
    • Strong desire to drink in the morning and withdrawal symptoms in the absence of drinking
  1. Think about what you will say to him. Once you've decided to talk to the person about their drinking habit, rehearse exactly what you're going to say to them. Be concise, objective, and specific. This will keep the patient from pulling away from you and relieve him of the feeling that you are emotionally pushing him.

    Talk to the person. If you notice any signs of alcoholism, talk to the person and let them know about your concerns. Explain to him that his behavior affects others and that he needs to stop for his own good and that of his family. Tell him about the problems that will follow from the abuse of alcohol.

    • Choose a time to talk when he is sober. For example, morning is usually the best time, and it's okay if the patient has a hangover. Argument that he destroys his body every day.
  2. Don't argue or judge. When you talk to a person about their bad habits, don't start with accusations and judgments. Avoid constant moralizing about drinking, as this can only worsen the situation. Such reasoning will only prevent the patient from revealing to you the reasons for the constant desire to drink.

    Try to understand it. When you talk to him about his problem, you can safely ask about the reasons that push him to this. You also need to find out if the patient has a good support system. If not, you can offer to get help from the group.

    Don't force a person to stop drinking. Alcoholism is a complex disease, so coercion is unlikely to overcome it. What's more, it can encourage a person to drink more.

Part 2

Helping

    First of all, do not drink alcohol in the presence of the patient. This will make it much harder for him to stop drinking. It can also lead to unhealthy habits in your life. You can help the other person by meeting and spending time at places that don't sell alcohol. In addition, it will greatly simplify the task for the patient.

    Tell those around you. Ask people close to you if they have noticed the harassing behavior or if they think the person has a problem. You should not call him an alcoholic and, moreover, tell about it to those who should not know about it. Do not violate his right to privacy.

    Talk to him. Remind him that you are worried about him, that you care about him, and that you want to help him. Share with him what you have noticed and ask him what needs to be done to help him. Be prepared for the fact that perhaps the person will refuse your help and will avoid you for a while.

    Try to get a professional. If the alcoholic refuses or even considers treatment, consider getting a therapist involved. The specialist will have enough experience in working with different types of alcoholism, he will be able, working with you, to create a special treatment plan that is right for your friend.

    • The specialist will explain to you and the relatives of the patient how to behave and how to react in difficult situations.
  1. Be encouraging throughout the treatment period. If the alcoholic agrees to go into treatment and take necessary measures be sure to support him. Do not let him feel guilty or ashamed, show that you are proud of his desire to be cured.

  2. Get ready for breakdowns. If a person has gone to a rehab center and been treated, they can be very vulnerable after treatment. For most patients, treatment does not end, they constantly have to deal with alcoholism. Friends and relatives of the patient should support him, despite the recurrence of the disease (the disease recurs in almost all patients).

    • Think of quiet activities for you that don't involve drinking alcohol. Ride bikes, play cards, cook, go to museums, parks and so on. In the end, imagine that you "both ended up in the rain."
    • Encourage him to frequent Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and counseling as needed.

Alcoholism is a family disease. It sounds a little strange: how is it a family drink if only one person in the family drinks? But, nevertheless, this is exactly the case: if there is one addict in the family, this disease - alcoholism - affects not only himself, but also everyone who is nearby.

Without noticing it, the whole family of an alcoholic begins to subordinate their entire existence to alcohol. Remember how many times your weekend plans were “covered” due to the fact that husband, alcoholic drunk again? How many years have you not gone on vacation because you are afraid that alcoholic son burn down/drink the apartment? Keep an eye on your own mood: is it true that it deteriorates greatly if he is “under the fly again”, and it gets better if he suddenly remained sober today? Or maybe you yourself began to drink, only to “get him less”? And if there are small children in the family, then they, as a rule, firmly know that if dad came drunk again, it’s better to sit in your room and not show yourself to anyone: there will be a scandal. And you can’t talk about it out loud, because mom never says “dad got drunk.” She says "daddy is tired". That is, he lies all the time and thinks that the children do not understand anything. And they understand, rest assured. And it’s a shame to invite guests into the house - what if he gets drunk again and puts you in an awkward position? Familiar? That's it - and there is " family disease alcoholism", otherwise - codependence. The whole family is sick, because they live guided by their own Everyday life not love and common sense, but the state of an active alcoholic living in this family ....

Surely, since you have come to this site and are reading these lines, you have already wondered what to do if the husband is an alcoholic, or how to help an alcoholic stop drinking. These are natural questions: it is very painful and scary to sit with folded arms, while a loved one (or once loved, but now just close) dies nearby. Perhaps even you have tried many ways to get an addict to become sober, but all efforts have gone to waste. This is also natural, for the simple reason that it is impossible to force someone to stop drinking. This decision should be made only by those who suffer from alcoholism, and no one else. You can give ultimatums thousands of times, forcibly take them away and lock them up in narcological boarding schools, or deprive them of money and take away the keys. Be sure that the alcoholic will sweep away all obstacles in his path in order to get the coveted dose of alcohol. And if he needs to step over you, your life and the life of your children - do not be surprised. He can cross. Not because he is a bastard and a bastard, but because he is very sick. And until you begin to treat alcoholism as a disease, there is nothing you can do to help an alcoholic.

However, we do not want to leave you in a desperate situation: there are recommendations for relatives and friends of alcoholics that have been tested by time and other families.

Limits of your responsibility for an alcoholic

Let's start with "three NOT rules", which are well known to those who attend self-help groups for relatives of alcoholics:

  1. You cannot control your drinking. The alcoholic's mind is so twisted that he will find a way to get drunk, no matter how hard you try to control him. His whole existence is subordinated to getting another dose of alcohol. As long as you stand between the alcoholic and his bottle, you are his enemy. When you step aside, you will give him a chance to see who (or rather, what) is his real enemy.
  2. You cannot cure your loved one's binge drinking. Even if you are a drug addict. Specifically, you cannot, because no doctor can treat his relatives. Other narcologists may be able to help him. You are not. Stop trying.
  3. You are not to blame for this. This is probably the most important thing that relatives of dependent people need to hear. You are not to blame even if it's your husband, your brother or your child . It is not your fault. Anyone can become an alcoholic, regardless of upbringing, heredity, control in childhood and other circumstances. You loved him the best you could and did what you could for him. More than you did, you were unable to do for him. You are not responsible for the actions of an alcoholic and should not bear the consequences of those actions. Moreover: you think that you are saving him, although in fact, by taking responsibility for yourself, you drown him even more in this swamp.

And now recommendations: son/daughter/husband/wife/father/mother is an alcoholic. What to do

So, first. Stop "rescuing" him/her

Many relatives of an alcoholic develop a "savior syndrome": they lie to the alcoholic's superiors, covering him up and thereby smoothing out the consequences of his irresponsible behavior; they lie to their loved ones, often hiding from them what is happening in the family. They "finance" the booze in one way or another: they feed him, despite the fact that he has not contributed his money to family budget, buy him clothes, pay his debts, redeem the things that he handed over there from the pawnshop to buy a drink, and the next day the alcoholic again takes these things to the pawnshop ... That is, they create all conditions so that the alcoholic does not think about anything else in addition to getting another dose of alcohol. And someone even buys alcohol himself, citing the fact that “it’s better to let him drink normal than poison.” Remember: for an alcoholic, any alcohol is poison. Poison cannot be "normal" no matter how much it costs or what it is made of. And binge drinking is not easier or harder because of what exactly the alcoholic drinks.

So, the first step is to do everything possible to stop financially participating in alcoholism, to stop sponsoring alcoholism. Stop saving the alcoholic from the consequences of his drinking: because if he does not even know about these consequences, he does not have a single chance to stop drinking: he thinks that everything is fine! That he has a loving and caring wife, an understanding boss who forgives everything, a bunch of family friends who don’t even know about his problems (and if no one knows about them, then it’s like they don’t exist), and a TV that every time miraculously returns from the pawnshop! Life is not a fairy tale! Why stop drinking? Step aside - let the consequences finally come into his life, no matter how painful they are. For an alcoholic to want to stop drinking, he must be at the bottom, but he cannot be there if you keep throwing him Lifebuoy. To the question “Should an alcoholic be helped to avoid the consequences of his behavior?” the clear answer is NO. However, an alcoholic is a sick person, and still needs your help, but not this one. Which one, read on.

Second. Stop lying: to yourself and others

When you lie to everyone around you that everything is fine, everyone most likely still guesses that you are in trouble, but they cannot help you. While you are in denial, help cannot find you. By the way, in this you are very similar to an alcoholic: he also denies that he has problems, right? Start with yourself: stop indulging your family illness and try to remove the lie from your life step by step. At all. It's scary and difficult, but quit drinking, believe me, it's not easier. The way to sober and healthy life must be overcome from both sides, and someone must break the vicious circle. Even if an alcoholic decides to take the path of sobriety, it will be very difficult for him to recover in a family where the symptoms of a family illness have not yet been eliminated. Lying is one of those symptoms.

Third. Live for yourself and let live for others

Stop denying yourself everything and forbid yourself to live, throw off the yoke of the sufferer: your life is only your life, and only you choose to be a victim in it, or happy man. Buy new things for yourself, get out of the house more often on pleasant things, resurrect old connections with friends and meet them, take care of your health: it has certainly been shaken by years of living with an alcoholic. When was the last time you saw a doctor? In gym? On holiday? To the cinema? Remove the alcoholic from the pedestal and finally put yourself in the first place: believe me, there can be no better help for an alcoholic! Leave him alone and let him sip to the fullest of the consequences of his use; if there is an opportunity to leave - leave, if not forever - then at least for a while. Take a break to recover - you will always have time to return. But stop wasting your life being the crutch of an alcoholic. The longer you stay with him, the less likely it is that he will ever learn to stand on his own.

Fourth. Learn to ask for help and receive help

Do not lock yourself in: there is no answer inside you to the question “what to do if your husband is an alcoholic” - everything that your own mind could give you, you have already tried, but the problem remains. You are now part of this crazy carousel of denial called alcoholism, and in order to get out of the vicious circle, you need to firm hand the help of a man who knows how your alcoholic husband tortured you, and what to do in this situation. Find self-help groups for relatives of Al-Anon alcoholics in your city (for example, by looking at the schedule of groups on the official website of the Al-Anon community, writing them a letter or calling the numbers listed on the site). If you do not live in Moscow, do not despair, Al-Anon groups are held throughout Russia and it is very likely that they already exist in your city. At these groups, relatives of alcoholics share with each other the experience of recovering from a family illness - codependency - and together they look for a way out of difficult situations. In any case, you will find warmth and understanding here - something that you have been deprived of for many years, remaining one-on-one with your misfortune. Membership in Al-Anon is anonymous and free, which, you see, is very handy if there is an alcoholic in the family. Of course, there are also paid help options: for example,. It doesn't matter how - start looking for help for yourself, and thereby provide invaluable help to your loved one.

And fifth. Do not despair. Help is available

Both for you and for him. And there are many ways to help. Despite the fact that alcoholism, as we have repeated many times on our website, is an incurable, chronic and fatal disease, it can be stopped! But you have to start with yourself - stop your own disease - codependency. How to stop drinking forever - let your loved one think! In any case, on initial stage. Trust that as long as you are codependent, there will be an alcoholic by your side. Or a drug addict. Not this one, it's different. Not the other - so the third. Simply because you will attract them: while you are sick, you are attractive only to people who are sick like you. In addition, only being a sane person can you provide truly useful help to your loved one. He is very ill, and he certainly needs your help, however, while you yourself are in a bad condition, you cannot give it. Therefore, the first step towards the recovery of the whole family is your personal recovery, which can start with .

Take care of yourself! And call us: we work around the clock and will be able to advise you on issues and provide medical assistance for withdrawal from hard drinking, and we also have developed and family members. Our psychotherapists are ready to work with you and your addicted loved ones. Our priority is the health of the whole family. Our practice shows that the recovery of one alcoholic is less effective than the recovery of all family members of an addict. Don't stay away.

Remember that, despite their addictions, a person should not tolerate your reproaches and humiliation. Be tactful and do not injure the self-esteem of the individual. Remember that addiction is a disease, and sometimes a person gets into trouble without realizing what he is doing. Your task is not to condemn him, not to scold or scold, but to show that you are ready to help.

Talk to your loved one in a relaxed atmosphere. Listen to him and try to understand his position. Let the person know that you are worried about their life and offer to help. Try to understand what exactly alcohol gives him, and determine how ready a person is for treatment.

Remember that there is no point in talking to an alcohol addict while intoxicated. The morning, when he suffers from a hangover, is also not the best option. Pick a time when he doesn't drink and talk to the person sober.

Proper Behavior

When there is an alcohol addict in your family, you need to negate all temptations, at least in your home. Give up violent feasts, replace the feast with tea. Support and encourage a person who is struggling with his trouble. But for misconduct and mistakes it is not worth reproaching him. Believe me, at such moments the individual is much worse than you, and he only needs consolation.

Try to convince loved one in need of treatment. Draw his attention to problems with health, work, social sphere and money. Do it tactfully and describe how the individual's life might have been without alcohol. The addict must believe in the possibility of a better future and that he will always have support in your person.

However, support should be provided in moderation. When there is a person nearby who solves all the problems caused by addiction to alcohol, the drunkard will not soon think about the need to change. Don't babysit the individual. If drunk he lost documents or with friends, caused damage to property or health, lost his job or the respect of good friends, let him disentangle the result. Understand that this will only benefit the alcoholic.

Treatment

If a person suffers from alcoholism, but refuses to go to a drug specialist, you may be able to convince him to attend or an addiction support society. Explain that such support is essential.

Remember that the fight against alcohol addiction is to completely give up alcohol. If your loved one hopes that he will be able to drink moderately or rarely and remain a normal member of society, dissuade him. Once the addiction has already manifested itself, then the only way for the individual to improve his life is to show prudence and never repeat past mistakes.

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