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How to Help an Alcoholic

When a person is struggling with alcohol addiction, they may hide how much they drink, lie to themselves or others about their consumption, or deny they have a problem. This can make it difficult for them to get alcohol addiction help or for loved ones to talk with them about seeking treatment. To better understand this complex disorder and how to get help someone stop drinking, the following discusses the stages of addiction development, the risk factors to be aware of, how to help an alcoholic in denial, how alcoholism is diagnosed, and what effective treatment looks like.
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Signs of an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

Only a doctor or licensed addiction specialist can diagnose someone with alcohol use disorder (AUD). That said, some signs to look for include:

  • Using alcohol in higher amounts or more often than intended.
  • Continuing to drink alcohol no matter the negative effects it has on your life.
  • Alcohol cravings.

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Helping a Loved One with Alcohol Use Disorder

Understanding Alcohol Addiction

In 1960, biostatistician and alcohol abuse researcher Elvin Morton Jellinek (E. M. Jellinek) gained widespread attention when he published The Disease Concept of Alcoholism, offering a new way to look at alcohol addiction.4

Jellinek viewed alcohol addiction as a chronic relapsing condition that needed to be treated by health professionals and developed a theory on the progression of the disease through various stages.

His model, now widely accepted, detailed his theoretical stages of alcohol addiction, each characterized by different changes in mental, physical, and social functioning.4

Stages of Addiction

Although not every person struggling with alcohol misuse goes through these stages, they can be a helpful checklist to assess alcohol consumption and prevent forthcoming problems.4 Based on Jellinek’s theory, here are the four stages of alcohol addiction.

Getting Help for Alcohol Addiction

Since the mid-1970s, research has pointed to a number of key principles that are necessary to form the basis of any effective alcoholism treatment program.12

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Supporting Recovery from Alcohol Use Disorder

Once alcohol treatment has been completed, it can be beneficial to continue to know how to support an alcoholic during their recovery efforts as they manage their sobriety. Here are a few ways to continue supporting them on their recovery journey.

It is also important to remember that while you can do your best to support them, a relapse may occur and is common. If this happens, it is not your fault, regardless of how supportive you’ve been.

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Finding Alcohol Rehab Near Me

We understand how scary and overwhelming the process can be to get your loved one alcohol abuse help, but American Addiction Centers is here for you. Call our hotline at today to speak with an admissions navigator about treatment options for your loved one in order to help with their drinking problem. There’s no obligation to make any decisions right away and all calls are 100% confidential.