Putting Up with Excuses – The Mark of the Alcoholic Every private alcohol rehab clinic in the UK has had to deal with alcoholics who have come up with a range of excuses to explain their behaviour. Nothing tries a loved one’s patience more than an excuse from an alcoholic. The fact is this is what you are going to have to deal with if you need to convince someone you care about that they have a problem. There are hundreds of Alcohol Rehab Clinics in the UK that can help, but to start with, you need to show someone the damage they are causing through their actions. Let us look at the art of the excuse. •
Why the Excuses?
A common myth about alcoholism is the person has no clue what they are doing to themselves. Whilst high-functioning alcoholics do have no clue about their addictions, the vast majority do. Most people are clever enough to recognise that what they are doing is not good for them. However, they cannot stop because their minds and bodies compel them to do it. To set their fears at ease, they make up an excuse. These excuses could range from lying about how much they have drunk to saying how the alcohol actually helps them to get through the day. Some alcoholics are embarrassed and some just want to keep the peace. You have to react to these excuses in the right way. •
Acceptance of Excuses
Too many people accept excuses because they do not want to cause any problems within the family unit. They would rather delude themselves into believing that there are no problems and alcoholism is perfectly normal behaviour. It is a natural response that most people have to try to push past.
By accepting the excuse, you are encouraging the alcoholic to continue to tell lies. You are not confronting the problem and you are potentially harming them by allowing their addictive ways to continue unchallenged. •
Abuse and Denial
Whenever you confront someone about their addiction, the chances are they are either going to deny it or become abusive towards you. These two negative outcomes are why so many people ignore the problem. What can you do in this situation, though?
For a start, make sure you’re not enabling the addiction. Do not give them any money and refuse to drive them to the shop or a pub. Offer to give them access to alcohol rehabs clinics in the UK, but don’t allow them to continue their addiction.
Sometimes, the only way to make someone see that they have a problem is to let them hit rock bottom. That means they may lose their jobs and ruin their relationships. It is perfectly fine to let this happen because some people have to suffer the consequences of their actions before they seek help. Remember, the key to dealing with alcoholism is you have to be cruel to be kind. You are doing the right thing by not accepting excuses. If there are others in your home, make sure they are not inadvertently becoming enablers. Help them to see that they need to be cruel to be kind.