A guide to acting on the warning signs of alcoholism

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A Guide to Acting on the Warning Signs of Alcoholism Acting on alcoholism is one of the toughest courses of action for any family member or friend. It will be difficult and the chances are the alcoholic is not going to respond positively to you. This is why you need a strong head before you go about this. Let us assume you have already confirmed that someone is an alcoholic. You have noticed too many of the warning signs and now you want to act and get them into one of the many alcohol rehabs clinics in the UK. It is important that you act in the right way or the chances are you are going to make the situation even worse. •

Timing

It all starts with the timing. Never confront an alcoholic when they are drinking or trying to sleep off a massive hangover. They are not in the right frame of mind. The chances are they will only confront you with anger and abuse. Anger is representative of a closed mind. If their mind is closed, they are not going to pay any attention to what you have to say. Choose a time where they have yet to start drinking and they are in a good frame of mind. If they seem like they are having a bad day, wait until tomorrow. •

Help them See

It is especially difficult to get through to alcoholics who are in complete denial as to their behaviour. This is where your only option is to show them evidence of their behaviour. Point to the amount of alcohol they have consumed that day. Show them the number of workdaysthey has missed this year. It is also worth bringing over family members who have felt aggrieved by their behaviour. These are called interventions and they force the person to confront what they have been trying to avoid. •

Help them Along

The important part of this process is not to berate them for what they have done. Offer to help them get into alcohol rehab in London. It is a complex process and you do not want to overwhelm them. If necessary, do the work for them and make a deal where all they have to do is go to rehab. Some addicts prefer to be engaged and some do not. It is essential that you give them a certain amount of control. This can be done by sitting down in front of the computer or staying with them whilst they phone up the rehab centre or a helpline. •

Keep Trying

If this does not work and the person disengages, let them go. It doesn’t mean you have to let them kill themselves through their addiction. What you have to do is keep coming back. Let the issue go for a few days and return. Never ignore the warning signs of an addiction or the situation will only get worse.


There are hundreds of different options you can try. Just keep doing your research and make sure you or anyone else has not become an enabler. Eventually, your words will get through to them and they will decide that they want to seek out private alcohol rehab.


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