Enabling an alcoholic in Vancouver, British Columbia And Alcoholism: How helping an Alcoholic is not really helping by Options Okanagan Treatment Center in Kelowna, British Columbia treating Alcohol addiction and recovery.
Often friends and family attempt to assist an alcoholic. However, they’re only making things easier on their loved ones by helping them to continue on with their condition.
This type of help is actually referred to as enabling. Enabling may take on may different forms. When people think they are helping a friend or family member with their addiction they are enabling the person to get out of trouble for their actions. This in turn allows them to continue on with their drinking addiction. Knowing that no matter how often they mess up the other person will be there for them allows them the freedom to continue on in their ways.
Enabling Isn’t Helpful
Everyone appreciates help, especially the alcoholic. By helping them to continue drinking the enabler is allowing them to continue without consequences. The alcoholic should be held accountable for their actions and they must learn that their behavior isn’t acceptable.
Here are some of the ways that others help alcoholics in Vancouver:
Money: Every time anyone gives an alcoholic money they are enabling the alcoholic to buy more alcohol.
Arguing: Any argument is an excuse to drink more.
Allowing: By allowing them to stay home sick when they’ve drank too much, you’re telling them that it’s okay, the truth of the matter is, they are sick, they are an alcoholic and they also have a hangover.
Excusing: Excusing the behavior and telling others they are under stress or allowing them to drink because of stress are all bad ideas.
Joining: Joining in and drinking with the alcoholic is only telling them that it’s acceptable.
Keeping Alcohol Around: They can’t resist temptation. Get rid of it.
One More Chance: Sadly, this is often the case, and then another chance and another chance and so on.
Failure To Acknowledge: Pretending that the person is fine or isn’t an alcoholic only tells that person that you are allowing it.
Stop Helping
It’s human nature to want to help others, especially when you love someone. However, you’ll have to set firm boundaries and stick with them if you really want to help the person. Don’t make any idle threats. If you say it, you’re going to have to follow through or they will call your bluff. Never back down on consequences if you told them something, or you’ll only make it easier on them. If you do this, they will often push harder and assume that you’ll back down once again. Follow through.
While you may have begun with the best of intentions, you’re enabling the alcoholic isn’t helping them at all, in fact, it’s actually quite harmful. Don’t beat yourself up for it. Just stop. Start taking away their safety net. This is only allowing them to continue on. If you want them to free themselves you have to remove each safety net. You may need to start slowly but with every success you have, you’re helping the alcoholic to be successful at recovery.
If you want to help someone who is an alcoholic, give us a call at 1-855-335-0331 and let us help you get them the help that they need.
Options Okanagan Alcohol Treatment Centers in Kelowna, Salmon Arm and Vancouver, British Columbia – Men and Women are recovering and healing from Alcohol and Drug Abuse at our treatment center here in the Okanagan right now.
Our unique and distinctive Alcohol treatment program allows men and women to come in from Vancouver, Calgary as well as Edmonton as we offer airport pickup.
Numerous clients come to us from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton and other locations in Alberta and British Columbia for Opiate addiction treatment, meth drug treatment, many other drug and alcohol addictions for rehabilitation because of the uniqueness of our treatment center.
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Options Okanagan Alcohol Treatment Center
551 Sherrydale Crescent, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 2E6
Toll Free Phone Number : 1-855-335-0331