Are You Living With an Alcoholic?

We all love our family members and friends. It’s difficult to watch them go through life with any illness. Living with an alcoholic is particularly difficult because someone with alcohol addiction isn’t the only one who suffers. Their antics and behaviors tend to have a profound effect on anyone living in the home.

Alcohol use disorder (what was previously called alcoholism) affects more than just the individuals abusing alcohol. The disease frequently makes the lives of these living with the one addicted to alcohol difficult and troubling. However, alcohol addiction also impacts others professionally and socially. Thus, helping individuals identify their alcohol use disorder and find the appropriate addiction treatment is something we all have a stake in accomplishing. At Beaches Recovery, we understand the challenges facing individuals struggling with alcohol addiction and those around them who care for them.

The Personal Conflict That Comes With Living With an Alcoholic

As a household member with someone who is struggling with an alcohol use disorder, you might find yourself caught in the middle of a personal conflict. If you allow the person to drink without getting involved, you become an enabler. Remember, just because you aren’t actively encouraging alcohol abuse, if you are aware of it happening and do nothing, you are still enabling negative, damaging behavior. However, this doesn’t mean that you or some other loved ones are to blame for another’s alcohol addiction. It means that treatment is necessary for the individual addicted so they can heal from the disease and that you and other family members or loved ones need therapeutic support.

Some people may think that if they choose to say something and get involved, they run the risk of alienating their loved one. It’s quite understandable that a decision like this is difficult to make. Here’s the thing. Allowing addictive behavior to take place in the home helps no one. It’s simply the easy way out. It’s far better to take a chance on alienating a loved one when saving their life is the primary objective. Left to their own devices, alcoholics are usually hell-bent on self-destruction, sometimes without knowing why. If a good kick in the rear helps save their life, it’s a risk worth taking.

At Beaches Recovery, we offer extensive therapies to help both the person struggling with alcohol use disorder and those who care for them. For example, our family therapy program can help everyone in a family learn how to break negative habits, learn healthy coping mechanisms, and ultimately overcome their addiction. Some of our other therapies include:

• Individual Therapy
• Group Therapy
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy
• EMDR Therapy
• Experiential Therapy
• Nutrition Therapy
• Yoga Therapy

Dealing With Codependency

Living with an alcoholic is a tragedy. Are you getting caught up in their cycle of addiction? Tragedy times two. If you find yourself living a life of codependency, the first thing you need to do is get help for yourself. Your ability to help a loved one is most likely compromised by your inability to accept living with an alcoholic. You may think you are a loving friend or family member trying to clean up their messes, but you are only assuming that they will do nothing to take responsibility for their own life. The best way to help someone who is an alcohol addict is to make sure you yourself are healthy.

Helping Your Loved One

When the time comes that you finally decide to take a leap of faith and confront your alcoholic loved one, you need to do so with empathy and conviction. An intervention assists multiple family members and loved ones to come forward and make a stand. Of course, the alcoholic may rebuff all attempts to help them, but you can take great comfort in knowing you are doing the right thing.

When a loved one is ready for treatment, a full-service drug and alcohol treatment like Beaches Recovery is a great place to start. We offer the following custom treatment options designed to get your loved one firmly on the road to recovery.

• Detox for either drugs or alcohol
• Inpatient care – primary and extended care
• Outpatient and intensive outpatient program
• Residential drug rehab treatment
• Dual Diagnosis treatment
• Partial hospitalization program
• Aftercare programs

For more information about dealing with a loved one who has alcohol addiction, we encourage you to call us at 866.605.0532 or contact us online. Help get your loved one into a treatment program. It could save their life.