Alcohol Abuse Advice

Alcoholism; Husband/wife Drinking Too Much? Here’s How to Help

If you can ever get someone drinking at an unhealthy level to slow down or stop altogether, you may well spare them from the pains of alcoholism, the requirement of professional treatment, and a lifelong battle with the disease.

Alcohol, if taken with frequency and in large amounts, can easily progress to alcohol abuse, and from alcohol abuse the risks of alcoholism are high indeed. Although both alcohol abuse and alcoholism damage health and quality of life, the treatment requirements for alcoholism greatly exceed what is needed for alcohol abuse, and once someone presses to alcoholism, they will struggle with alcohol for the rest of their life, and there is no guarantee that they will ever achieve long term sobriety (sadly the majority of alcoholics don’t).

If you know that your husband or wife is drinking too much, and worry about their control over their drinking, and even notice the negative effects of excessive drinking; you need to take action now, before things get worse.

Actions speak louder than words

You may already know how little effect nagging, shaming and pleading have and you may already have witnessed how your verbal interventions can provoke ever heavier alcohol use. Clearly what you say has little impact over someone abusing alcohol, but thankfully, research shows that what you do is an altogether different thing, and your actions truly do speak louder than your words.

Spouses who quit drinking are 5 times more likely to see their spouses do likewise, without having to say a word. If you are concerned about your husband or wife’s level of use and abuse, and talking about the problem has shown little effect, just stop drinking yourself.

Don’t bring home beer with the groceries, don’t have wine before dinner, and skip those visits to the bar; through leading with a good example you force one of two likely situations.

1) Hopefully as you stop drinking, your partner has less opportunity or excuse for his or her own drinking, and naturally, without having to say much, your partner will also stop or greatly reduce their own consumption.

2) Alternatively, your actions may have no impact whatsoever on your husband or wife’s drinking, and if this is the case it tells you a lot about the extent of the problem, and you may need to start thinking about getting some professional assistance.

It’s the best way to help

You don’t need to give up a relaxing glass of wine forever, and if your abstinence brings a partner’s drinking back under control, you both may once again enjoy a moderate consumption of alcohol; but it’s truly a small price to pay to influence abuse behaviors, and hopefully bring a loved one back from the brink of alcoholism.

If the though of quitting drinking or drugs provokes undue anxiety, you may need to evaluate your own substance use and abuse, and determine whether you may also be at risk for a dependency.

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