alcohol help: The Ideal Time To Help A Problem Drinker

As with so many other things in life, timing can be all important when you are trying to help someone with a drink problem. Exactly what you can or should do will depend to a large extent on the stage of their drinking career that they have reached. At the earliest stage that the alarm bells start ringing it is quite possible that you may start to recognise that all is not well before the drinker does themselves. This does not mean that the drinker is in denial but it means that they haven’t yet given the matter due consideration. It is therefore commonly known by experts as the “pre-contemplative stage”. At this stage friends and family often can’t do much more than provide information on safe drinking guidelines. But things tend to get much easier once a drinker reaches the “contemplation stage,” when they begin to consider the possibility that alcohol could be a problem and that they need to do something about it. This is the best stage at which you can help someone and, if you weren’t able to successfully bring sources of help to their attention at the pre-contemplation stage, it might be worth trying again now.

At the contemplation stage a drinker starts to want to explore the potential benefits of drinking less. They might, for example, start becoming open to the idea that cutting down might result in them having more money, enable them to drop the kids off at school, and improve their health and appearance and dietary intake. This is the stage at which to seek to challenge the positive beliefs that an individual might have about alcohol.

For example, people often think that alcohol helps with stress and that it makes them more sociable but that you can discuss the fact that stress is still going to be there the next morning. You can also point out that once they’ve had a few too many they might not always be quite the life and soul of the party that they think they are. The drink may make them overpowering and they may not realise that people are stepping back from them.

The contemplation stage is the ideal time to get someone with a drink problem to consider whether they might want to phone their employee assistance programme (EAP) at work or other relevant helpline or to seek advice from their GP or, if they have one, their occupational health department at work. You might also wish to consider introducing them to online services that can help people cut down such as Moderation Management ( http://www.moderation.org ) or lookatyourdrinking.com.

Another way of helping them is recommending that they carry a drink diary to monitor exactly what and how much they are drinking, when and where they are drinking it, with whom they are drinking it and how they feel both before and after their drinking sessions. This should help them to identify the triggers that make them both drink and drink to excess.

Pointing someone trying to cut down in the direction of some of the better quality de-alcoholised beers and wines that have become available during recent years could also prove valuable. There are some potentially good reasons why those seeking to go completely dry should be wary of such alcohol substitutes but they can be quite useful for those cutting down or for pregnant women and others who are seeking only to give up for an initial period. Some of the newer substitute wines can taste so realistic that they have even won international awards in blind taste tests against wines containing alcohol.

At this contemplation stage it’s important to give them as much encouragement as possible, and the more people they have support from the better. In particular, try and ensure that you do the bulk of your own drinking outside the home. It helps to cement the impression that you are on their side and reduces the chances of them coming across temptation.

Bad Habits, Alcohol and Social Anxiety – www.conquersocialanxiety.com – (get more details how I’m overcoming my social anxiety at my website). How bad habits can intensify or even cause our social anxiety. I realize now that I used to have a lot of unhealthy habits at the peak of my social anxiety and it has diminished a lot since I started healthier life. Are any of your bad habits cause more social anxiety or depression? Think about starting a healthier life 🙂

40 years of help, hope

Filed under: alcohol help

NORMAN — In a small house near St. John's Episcopal Church, Fr. Dick Virtue reached out to those addicted to drugs and alcohol. He didn't pass judgment or treat only church members. His ministry was a hidden one at first. Virtue operated on an initial …
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Women of Substance raise awareness

Filed under: alcohol help

About two weeks ago, Meehan launched the web site, Women of Substance, to help raise awareness about alcoholism among affluent women. She said preparations for the website have been under way for more than a year. Meehan decided to start Women …
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