If you’re going to help Someone recover from Alcoholic addiction, you’re going to have to educate yourself about the condition, and what to do in the case of a relapse. Your loved one will need support and guidance to overcome this serious problem.
The alcoholics anonymous meetings in the New Jersey area can provide your loved ones with the support they need to take all the steps on their long and challenging journey to recovery.
Alcoholic Addiction: How To Support – Stages & Rehabilitation
Stages Of Alcohol Addiction
You need to understand alcoholism to be able to support a recovering alcoholic. There are different stages of alcohol addiction, but everyone doesn’t go through all these stages.
- During the first stage, the person usually experiments and gradually develops a tolerance to alcohol as they start to drink more regularly to cope with stressful emotions.
- In the early stages of addiction, the person will start to drink more regularly, and often uses social gatherings as an excuse to drink more. They might even start to use alcohol to cope with their hangovers, and they could start having blackouts.
- During the middle stage of addiction, the person now drinks frequently and could even start their morning by drinking. Their relationships with family and friends may be negatively impacted, as a result of behavioral changes. Their health is also affected, as they suffer from hangovers, and they feel sick when they’re not drinking.
- In the late phase of addiction, the alcoholic has lost complete control over their drinking, and they’re compelled to keep drinking. The person’s body will need the alcohol to feel normal. If they don’t have alcohol regularly, they will have intense cravings, and experience withdrawal.
Rehabilitation
If you think your loved one is struggling with alcohol addiction, you should encourage them to seek help for their addiction.
There are various options available when it comes to treatment. Residential treatment programs from 30 to 60 days provide the option of staying at a facility and receiving treatment during the day. They will also learn coping skills and how to prevent a relapse.
You can also help them on their way by searching for “aa meetings near me New Jersey” on any web browser. This will provide you with options for support groups that they can attend close to home.
The Withdrawal Process
If your loved one has been drinking a lot for a long time, a healthcare practitioner may need to supervise their detox and recovery.
Be aware of serious symptoms that could occur during the withdrawal process, and that need immediate medical treatment.
Get medical assistance for your loved one, if they experience the following:
- seizures and vomiting
- convulsions
- hallucinations
- fever
- confusion and disorientation.
They will experience some symptoms such as headaches, anxiety, and nausea in the hours after they stop drinking, which should improve after a few days.
It’s possible to get a prescription for medication to relieve their withdrawal alcoholic symptoms. Speak to your GP for more information about this.
Aftercare And Support
How to help an alcoholic? Aftercare is an important part of your loved one’s recovery. You can help your loved one by making sure they continue attending sessions with a therapist, and continue attending support group meetings, such as alcoholic anonymous.
You can support your loved one’s recovery, by encouraging them to develop new interests and taking part in social activities where there is no alcohol involved. Find things that you can do together to make it easier for them to settle into life as sober people.
Look at outdoor activities so that your loved one can also get exercise. This can include camping and hiking. Hobbies such as yoga, cooking, painting, and woodworking can also distract a person from drinking and enrich their lives.
Volunteering may also help them change their mindset, and they will feel they are making a difference in their community and giving back to others.
Help them avoid relapse, by discussing their triggers. It will help to know what caused them to drink in the past, e.g. depression, loneliness, or boredom.
Encourage them to develop coping mechanisms which don’t involve alcoholic. Also, help them avoid situations that could cause enough anxiety and stress to lead to a relapse.
If they start drinking again, don’t enable them. Don’t take over their responsibilities and help them avoid consequences. Don’t get angry, but encourage them to speak to a therapist or an addiction therapist.
Relapses are common, so it’s good if you have a plan in place to deal with them. Discuss the relapse with them and encourage them to get more treatment for alcohol addiction. Make sure you have the number of their sponsor, in case this should happen.
While you can do your best to support your loved one, relapses are very common. It’s never your fault.
Final Thoughts:
It’s much easier for an alcoholic to stop drinking if they have the support of their loved ones and friends, and they also make use of other assistance, such as treatment programs and support groups.
While their behavior may have hurt their family and friends in the past, it’s important to remember that they were under the influence of alcohol when they behaved in unacceptable ways.
They will need your support and guidance to get them through the tough journey of recovery.