The good news is that no matter how severe the problem may seem, most people with AUD can benefit from some form of treatment. Reach out to us today by filling out the contact form below with your name, contact information, and a brief message about your recovery journey. If your story is chosen, a member of our team will reach out to you.

If a health worker suspect alcohol may be a problem, they may ask a series of questions. If the patient answers in a certain way, the doctor may then use a standardized questionnaire to find out more. Some signs and symptoms of alcohol misuse may be due to another condition. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission Here’s our process. Alcohol use disorder can be mild to severe, depending on the number of symptoms a person has.

Discuss your Situation

If you’re ready to leave your addiction in the past, put your trust in our licensed and certified addiction therapists. We have more than 120 years of combined experience helping people just like you move past addiction. A psychologist can begin with the drinker by assessing the types and degrees of problems the drinker has experienced. The results of the assessment can offer initial guidance to the drinker about what treatment to seek and help motivate the problem drinker to get treatment. Individuals with drinking problems improve their chances of recovery by seeking help early. For many people, drinking alcohol is nothing more than a pleasant way to relax.

For families researching interventions for an alcoholic, we can say with near certainty that an alcoholic is not a heavy drinker who can just put it down. No matter the outcome of the intervention, it’s important to be patient and stick with your plans to render consequences. This may help the person with the addiction realize the impact their drinking has on friends and loved ones, and may encourage them to eventually seek treatment. Families and friends may have to stage an intervention to convince a person with alcohol dependence that they have a problem. An intervention is a meeting in which you face your loved one and explain that you are concerned about their health and well-being.

Signs of an Alcohol Problem

If you decide to have an intervention for your loved one, you’ll need to take a few steps to help you prepare logistically and mentally. Rather than targeting the person with the substance use disorder, this evidence-based method aims to work with the concerned significant others (CSOs) so that they can assist the identified patients (IPs). Dr. Nelson notes that there is not much research regarding the efficacy of these types of interventions. However, they may be helpful in getting family members and friends to come together with regard to setting boundaries. Interventions should be carefully planned and developed by professional counselors who are experienced in these procedures. In cases of psychotherapy for alcoholism, a psychologist might help a patient better understand and manage their cravings and stay motivated to achieve their sobriety goals.

• Seeking professional help can prevent relapse—behavioral therapies can help people develop skills to avoid and overcome triggers, such as stress, that might lead to drinking.
• You can beg, plead, bribe, and threaten, but until they see their drug and alcohol abuse as a problem, addiction recovery will remain out of reach.
• The AlcoholicsAnonymous.com helpline is free, private, and confidential.
• You will need to find a treatment facility before staging the intervention.
• Many others substantially reduce their drinking and report fewer alcohol-related problems.
• As such, rehab centers sometimes offer art and music therapy to their patients.

In some cases, your loved one with an addiction may refuse the treatment plan. He or she may erupt in anger or insist that help is not needed or may be resentful and accuse you of betrayal or being a hypocrite. In the past, a person with this condition was referred to as an “alcoholic.” However, this is increasingly seen as an unhelpful and negative label.

How Interventions Work

You don’t have control over the behavior of your loved one with the addiction. However, you do have the ability to remove yourself — and any children — from a destructive situation. It’s challenging to help a loved one struggling with any type of addiction. Sometimes a direct, heart-to-heart conversation can start the road to recovery. But when it comes to addiction, the person with the problem often struggles to see it and acknowledge it.

Yet that’s the position family members find themselves in when a loved one addicted to drugs or alcohol denies having a problem. Until that person admits the need for help, there is usually little that can be done. A major issue that occurs when individuals attempt to organize an intervention for a person with an alcohol use disorder is that the majority of interventions do not progress beyond the initial planning stages. Obviously, if an intervention is not performed, it cannot be effective. There are several approaches to substance abuse interventions (see below); however, there are some general commonalities that apply to different intervention models.

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Even if it is under control, it is still not a healthy or safe practice to be addicted to anything. Don’t let them fool you if everything seems like it’s going far too well with little to no struggle. You know that your loved one isn’t a violent person, but drugs have made them intolerant of hearing anything from anybody. Their mind may be focused on the next fix, how to do an intervention for an alcoholic or they may be in the early stages of withdrawal if they are unable to acquire their vice. One key tactic that works more often than it fails, is delivering an ultimatum. Each member of the loved one’s inner circle that is present should present an ultimatum to the user, pushing them towards seeking help in lieu of losing everyone and everything they care about.

• In the context of substance use and recovery, an intervention is an organized attempt to confront someone with an addiction about how their drinking, drug use, or addiction-related behavior has affected everyone around them.
• They may also shut down completely, crying, screaming, or otherwise attempting to zone out the attempt to help them.
• An intervention is a key turning point to showing someone who is suffering from addiction the light, and that they are hurting the people around them, and most importantly, themselves.

Ultimately, choosing to get treatment may be more important than the approach used, as long as the approach avoids heavy confrontation and incorporates empathy, motivational support, and a focus on changing drinking behavior. Some are surprised to learn that there are medications on the market approved to treat alcohol dependence. The newer types of these medications work by offsetting changes in the brain caused by AUD. When it comes down to it, there are no surefire ways to reach the person that’s hiding inside.