It can be difficult to see someone you care about struggling with a drinking problem. To see them deal with the mental and health problems from a lifestyle centred around alcohol abuse.
Wanting to help them is a good thing, but it won’t be easy.
The journey to long term recovery is especially difficult when it involves those suffering from alcohol addiction. It is easily accessible, and excessive use is often ignored or overlooked thanks to the UK’s drinking culture.
But with the right treatment plan and a lot of support from you and health professionals, you can help your loved one overcome their drinking problem and live a sober life.
At Asana Lodge, we are the UK’s only science-based private residential alcohol rehab centre. We have years of experience providing care and offer advice on how to deal with a loved one drinking.
The first step is to take a deep breath.
It’s going to be ok; we will walk you through everything you need to do so that you can enable your loved one to take control of their life and their alcohol abuse.
What To Do Before Rehab
At this point, you may want to get your loved one checked into a local alcohol rehab centre as soon as possible.
While this comes from a place of love and good intentions getting someone the treatment they need is not that simple. You need to be careful not to bombard them as this could cause them to isolate themselves from you, feeling as though they can’t turn to you for help.
Your role is to offer support and a safe environment, not to force someone who doesn’t want it into treatment.
You have to bring up the conversation of a drinking problem carefully. Don’t just spring the idea of treatment and recovery on them. Instead, make them feel safe and listened to.
Intervention
One of the best ways to do this is by hiring an intervention specialist. This is someone often connected with the alcohol rehab centre who knows how to help you communicate your worry and good intentions.
An intervention done right is an important first step to getting your loved ones the help they need. It can also help all parties involved understand what treatment plan may benefit them best.
Treatment For Alcohol Addiction
There are various treatment options available for someone living with a drinking problem.
Some find support groups to be all they need and turn to groups such as alcoholics anonymous to have a safe space to process their feelings and deal with their alcohol dependency.
This can be an excellent treatment plan for those with an alcohol use disorder as it offers them the support and accountability they need to make a positive change. However, many people whose alcohol abuse has developed into addiction require an alcohol rehab centre.
The Challenging Withdrawl
When a person develops an addiction, their brain has become reliant on alcohol to produce dopamine. Dopamine is the chemical responsible for pleasure and so is essential for a person to function properly.
So your brain craves what gives it the dopamine and panics when it goes too long without any alcohol.
This panic results in alcohol withdrawal symptoms, something that under the right circumstances can be very dangerous.
The withdrawal symptoms can include:
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Muscle spasms and tremors or shaking
- Chills
- Hot flashes
- Goosebumps
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Delirium
- Hallucinations
- Seizure
If your loved one begins to experience these symptoms after abstaining from alcohol for a long period, get them to a medical professional as soon as possible.
The withdrawals and cravings are dealt with through a ten-day-long process known as an alcohol detox.
The detox process is recommended to take place in a residential alcohol rehab centre so that your friend or family member can be monitored by fully trained medical professionals and given medication to relieve the withdrawal symptoms should they prove too much for their body to handle.
Following the detox, your loved one will be moved on to the next phase of their treatment plan, which is therapy.
Begin Recovery
Therapy is a key part of recovery because substance abuse tends to be a symptom of deeper mental health issues that needs addressing.
Common causes of substance abuse are:
● Trauma from domestic abuse, sexual assault, military service, crime, loss of home, loss of job, illness, death of a loved one.
● Undiagnosed mental illness that they are attempting the self medicate. As alcohol is a depressant and can cause people to relax, many suffer from anxiety or PTSD use it to try and live normally.
● Dopamine deficiency is often passed down through the family.
● Being exposed to substance abuse from a young age and having the act normalised or tied with childhood abuse.
Part of the therapy treatment plan your loved one will receive will be to participate in group therapy and work with others to unpack the cause of their substance abuse. They will also learn safe and healthier coping mechanisms to replace alcohol abuse.
They will learn coping mechanisms that will help them to avoid a relapse once they have completed their treatment plan and are ready to leave the alcohol rehab centre.
Asana Lodge uses state of the art scientific methods with a proven success rate to help your friend or family member.
They will be kept safe in a welcoming and clean environment free of any judgment. The goal of any alcohol rehab centre is to provide someone with the tools and opportunity to work to overcome their alcohol addiction.
It is a long and difficult journey. They will struggle, and they may need to return to the alcohol rehab centre. Still, the important thing to remember is that if they are trying, they will get there eventually.
It will be a lot of work and dedication. They will need you there to support them during this hard time in their life.
But recovery is achievable. It just takes time and a little bit of help from Asana Lodge alcohol rehab centres.
