Effective Ways to Help an Alcoholic Friend
Having an alcoholic friend can put a different kind of strain on your friendship. When you’re worried about their health and well-being, it can sometimes lead to feelings of helplessness and frustration. But because you are their friend, this also puts you in a special position to be their best supporter and positively influence their recovery.
Not all hope is lost, and there are ways you can help an alcoholic friend. Read on to identify if your friend has a drinking problem, how to talk to them about their alcohol addiction, and how you can better support them while taking care of yourself.
Is my Friend an Alcoholic?
Since you don’t live with your friend, the signs of alcoholism can be difficult to pinpoint. It’s also important to note that not all alcoholics are the same, which is why it can be hard to know. However, there are ways you can see the signs, especially when you hang out with them.
Here are some of the signs that your friend may have an alcohol addiction problem:
- Day drinking constantly
- Only going out if there’s alcohol involved
- Only hanging out with drinking buddies and neglecting other friends
- Aren’t always sober when you see them
- Regularly asking for alcohol when you see them
- Lack of interest with hobbies they previously enjoy
- They’re more anxious or depressed
- Isolating themselves and resorting to alcohol
- Frequent mood changes, anger, and exhaustion
- Neglecting personal hygiene
The key here is that your friend should exhibit multiple signs from this list. If you find that they are indeed alcoholic, the best thing you can do next as their friend is to talk to them.
How to Talk to an Alcoholic Friend about their Addiction
Talking to your friend about their drinking can be tricky especially if you drink as well. In order for your conversation to be fruitful with them, here are some of the best ways you can approach them.
Speak to other friends about the situation
Talk to your other friends who might have also noticed the alcoholic problem your friend has. This way you can be assured that it’s not just you who is concerned with your alcoholic friend. The best thing about this is that if you’re a close-knit group, you can set up a group intervention to talk to your friend and help them realise how problematic their alcohol consumption is.
Set the right tone
Remember, just because you talk to your friend one time about their alcohol problem, they will stop drinking ASAP. The truth is that most alcoholics are in denial that they have a drinking problem. The best way to combat this is just to recount to them instances where their drinking has negatively affected their health, behaviour, or even your friendship.
Set the right tone by avoiding accusations and criticisms. Just gentle and calm conversations where you express your concerns over their welfare and not shaming them for their actions.
Alcohol addiction, like any other addiction can be a difficult situation to navigate. But making sure that you set the right tone when approaching them, can help them realise their alcohol addiction and eventually seek professional help.
Involve their family
Involving their family members might be a tricky move, especially that your friend might interpret this as a breach of trust on their end. However, if you are close to their family this might be a good way to help them see the full picture since all of their loved ones are expressing their concern.
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Common Mistakes that Enable an Alcoholic Friend
Most people are not aware that they are already enabling their friend’s alcohol addiction. But once you know what actions enable their drinking problem, you can easily change them and even help your friend seek support.
Drinking with them
Drinking with your friend to limit and monitor their alcohol consumption is one of the most common mistakes one can do. The reason is that, it only signals to your friend that drinking alcohol is still allowable around you. The best way to do instead is to be sober around your friend.
Set an example to them and help them engage with activities that doesn’t include drinking or in venues where drinking is the norm. You can do this through activities like:
- Running or other sports
- Eating out where there is no alcohol served
- Going to events that don’t require leisure drinking
When you shown them that they don’t need to drink to enjoy your company, you also encourage them to avoid alcohol altogether
Giving them money or a place to stay
Set boundaries when it’s about offering financial aid to them. Your friend might struggle to pay rent or cover for their meals just because they spent it all on alcohol.
Instead of offering money to them, you can help them better by looking for cheaper apartments for them, or helping them with groceries. This is much more practical and won’t encourage them to spend the financial help they will receive from you on alcohol.
Making excuses for them
You may feel that you’re the only one who understands your friend better and why they have a drinking problem. But making excuses for them either covering for their work or lying to their family and other friends is only damaging.
Instead, it’s much more important to make your friend accountable for their actions. Show them the consequences of their actions rather than covering for them. Be honest, and let them know that you don’t want to tolerate their alcohol problem.
This can be a tough situation, but helping them be accountable, will help them realise that they need to seek professional help.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are
tiny matters compared to what lies within us
How to Help an Alcoholic Friend into Treatment
The first and most crucial step is to wait for your friend to decide and accept that they need professional treatment.
This is the most difficult step, but once they do you can fully support them afterwards. Remember, they must decide first, it’s not your duty to decide for them.
The next thing to do is to help direct them to the right resources and different kinds of treatment they can choose. You can also help them look at the best rehab centers to go to. And if they finally decide to go, your reassurance that you will be there for them every step of the way is the most important assistance you can give them.
Having faith in your friend towards their recovery can boost their morale and give them a headstart. Helping an alcoholic friend seek treatment might be an uphill battle, but seeing them recover from their alcohol addiction is worth it.
If you’re looking for alcohol rehabilitation facilities, you can go here and look at our facilities and how other alcohol addicts recovered and reclaimed their lives.
FREE Alcohol Addiction Assessment
If you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol addiction, we understand the challenges you’re facing and we’re here to offer compassionate help.
Our highly trained advisers are available to speak to you right away, simply call 0808 252 3379 today.
We can discuss your concerns in complete confidence, explore the options for treatment, and help you to understand what will work best for you.
We’ll also help you to book your free alcohol addiction assessment there and then, with appointments usually available within only a few days.
We understand that taking the first step can be the most difficult, but we’re here to support – with no pressure or judgement.
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