What measures to take if the person dear to you abuses alcohol? Some believe that alcoholism is just a bad habit, but this opinion is wrong, since it is a serious disease that must be fought with all our might. Not only the drinker suffers from it, but also everyone who lives with him. In many cases, relatives and friends help to overcome this ailment. However, many relatives do not know what to do with a relative suffering from alcohol addiction, so they need to seek help from a professional – a narcologist, a psychologist.
How not to behave to relatives of a drinking person
Family members whose relatives are addicted to alcohol, as a rule, behave differently. This is a very important factor, since the further course of the disease and the success of therapy depend on the reaction of relatives to the actions of the drinker. According to psychologists, in a greater number of cases, the female sex earlier notices problems with alcohol, which appeared in relatives or in their family, in contrast to men.
According to statistics, women often turn to drug treatment services with a request to get their alcoholic spouse out of the binge. The fairer sex may notice the spouse’s alcoholism by indirect manifestations: frequent corporate parties, after which the husband is tipsy. Moreover, wives are not invited to such festivities. In addition, the spouse becomes aggressive, very rude, problems of an intimate nature appear, etc. When such signs are detected, women immediately use their entire arsenal: persuasion to ask to stop drinking, threats to abandon an alcoholic husband if he refuses treatment. Most men are inclined to think that everything can be resolved by itself, that they can get rid of their addiction to alcohol only at their own request, as a result, the situation worsens even more. But sometimes there are exceptions, the behavior of men and women can be different.
How to understand in time that your close relative or spouse is turning into an alcoholic?
Family meals or friendly gatherings are usually accompanied by alcohol consumption. “Overkill” can happen to anyone, although the need for an urgent drunk on the next morning is acutely felt only by alcoholics. If, after drinking alcohol the next day, a person feels disgust for him, and not attraction, this indicates that the person is doing well, with the enzymatic system in complete order.
Drunkenness and alcoholism differ significantly from each other. The psyche is disturbed, behavior changes dramatically, antisocial behavior is inherent in the later stages of alcoholism. A signal that everyday drunkenness has turned into alcoholism is the body’s resistance to alcohol. If a spouse or a loved one can independently consume half a bottle of brandy or vodka, feel absolutely normal at the same time, you must immediately sound the alarm, and not talk about the stability of his health. With an increase in the body’s tolerance to alcohol, it is necessary to seek help from specialists and begin treatment of this ailment.
Rules of conduct for relatives of an alcoholic
Lecturing about the dangers of drinking alcohol to a husband or wife, as well as threats to leave the family, is not effective. Not seeking help from a narcologist and a psychotherapist is simply not possible, since a person who is sick with alcoholism should receive drug therapy and support from a psychologist. In this case, relatives must strictly adhere to the instructions of a specialist, which may be individual.
If a relative refuses to go to an appointment with a specialist, then you need to contact him yourself. He will tell you what to do with a drinking relative.
However, in each case of the development of alcoholism, it is important that the person understands what his behavior is fraught with. Therefore, the following mistakes should not be made:
· Do not buy alcohol for a sick person in order to get rid of a hangover. It only causes harm.
· Do not cover up for the boss: let him explain his absence from work.
· No need to hide bottles of alcohol, demonstratively pour their contents into the sink. This will not help the patient, he will only become angry with you and become aggressive. It is better to let him put things in order in the house after drunkenness: he will remove vomiting, wash the floor, etc.
Memory lapses alert many alcoholics in the early stages, so the fear of possible memory loss after drinking alcohol can push him to seek help from a specialist.