Alcoholic man Alcoholics need help and these ‘affirmative love’ suggestions may help you.

It is important to put the responsibility for dealing with the alcohol problem squarely on the person in question while continuing to love them.

Doing the “right” thing can depend on how severe the alcohol problem is and on how much real understanding the person has. What works for someone who is highly functional in daily life and who knows that alcohol is causing trouble may not be the solution for someone who denies that there is a problem.

These suggestions are distilled from many years of experience, both mine and others. Helping an alcoholic works, it really works.

  1. Don’t make it easy for the drinker to keep on drinking
  2. Don’t stop loving them
  3. Don’t nag, criticize, preach, or complain
  4. Address the drinking problem directly
  5. Seek help
  6. Detach, separate, walk away
  7. Set a good example
  8. Take care of yourself
  9. Be there for them when they’re ready
  10. Learn about the disease

See also;

 

Related Reading:

Facing Codependence: What It Is, Where It Comes from, How It Sabotages Our Lives
Codependents' Guide to the Twelve Steps
CURRENT Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 2013
The Life Recovery Workbook: A Biblical Guide through the Twelve Steps
Everything I Never Wanted to Be: A Memoir of Alcoholism and Addiction, Faith and Family, Hope and Humor