Author: Alex Thompson

Living with an Alcoholic: What You Need to Know

Working with a therapist who understands alcoholism and the toll it takes on families and who knows how to help those who are codependent is very helpful to people living with alcoholics. Many people living with alcoholics participate in individual therapy. Sometimes people involved with people with AUD need help to behave in a less codependent manner.

You can receive treatment in an individual, family, group, or couples setting. A therapist or support group, such as an Al-Anon family support group, can help you through this challenging time. Building up a support network around you — along with reading advice on how to cope — can help you get through the most challenging times. When living with someone who has AUD, it’s important to understand that you didn’t cause the addiction. Learn about the warning signs, how to spot a problem, and what you can do if someone… Someone with AUD typically doesn’t want anyone to know the level of their alcohol consumption because if someone found out the full extent of the problem, they might try to help.

The present study findings are consistent to the available literature on same; however, the results highlight the role of culture and changing gender implications on their coping styles. The study, however, did not explore the subjective distress and pain the partners of alcoholic clients go through their lives as pure descriptive and cross-sectional assessment were done. The study also did not look into the association between demographic variables and coping styles used. When your loved one drinks or is experiencing withdrawal symptoms, their mood can become unpredictable.

If you know they drink a lot and/or drink frequently and they have at least a few of these symptoms, chances are there is a problem with alcohol. Al-Anon is the most popular support program available to loved ones of alcoholics. It is a program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous and provides peer support to adults. People participating in Al-Anon understand the challenges and devastation of living and loving someone with a problem with alcohol. Ultimately, someone with alcohol use disorder must accept help if they want to recover.

The impact of alcohol addiction on children

They might be friendly one moment, only to become angry and violent the next. According to the Foundations Recovery Network, up to two-thirds of cases of alcohol-related violence occur in close interpersonal relationships. Alateen is similar to Al-Anon but it’s for children of alcoholics.

It gives kids an opportunity to spend time with their peers and discuss their alcoholic parent with people their own age who understand and can relate to the situation. There are many options available to help people who care about alcoholics. Groups like Al-Anon offer peer support and access to other resources. Find at least one option that feels comfortable for you and gives you someone to turn to when you are struggling with your situation.

Not only does alcohol addiction, or alcohol use disorder (AUD), affect those who have it, but it can also have significant effects on their interpersonal relationships and households. The key to dealing with alcohol dependency in the family is staying focused on the situation as it exists today. It doesn’t reach a certain level and remain there for very long; it continues to get worse until the person with an alcohol problem seeks help. There are a variety of emotions and behaviors that can come up if you live with someone misusing alcohol. The effects and feelings may depend on the type of relationship you have with the person with AUD. Every day might be different, depending on how controlled their drinking is or how alcohol or withdrawal is making them feel.

How to Help and Alcoholic Spouse: Treatment Options

You may tell yourself that surely there is something you can do. But the reality is that not even the person dependent on alcohol can control their drinking, try as they may. Table 1 depicts the sociodemographic profile of the study participants. The majority of participants were in the age range of 21–40 years. Almost 43% of participants had education up to secondary level while 26% were educated up to graduate level.

It is a standardized tool developed by Oxford et al (1976).[4] There are totally 30 items in the scale. The tool yields mean scores in three forms of coping, namely, engaged coping, tolerant coping, and withdrawal coping. The mean scores can be obtained by simply summing up the individual items score on each subscale. The tool was translated into Hindi and retranslated into English after seeking validation from language experts. A descriptive research design was employed in the present study to assess the problems faced by wives of alcoholics and coping strategies employed by them.

1. But what you cando is support your loved one in their recovery.
2. It comprised items including the age, gender, educational status, occupational status, and other demographic information of wives of alcoholic clients.
3. Almost 43% of participants had education up to secondary level while 26% were educated up to graduate level.
4. Even if your loved one doesn’t become violent from AUD, they can still present security dangers to the household.
5. More than 60% of wives also reported feeling mentally disturbed often.

Children may no longer be able to rely on the adult with AUD, which can place undue pressures on them. They might also be at risk for other forms of physical and emotional violence. Intoxication can also present other unpredictable events, including physical dangers. When under the influence, your loved one may become angry and lash out. They likely don’t even realize they’re behaving this way, and they may not remember once the effects of the alcohol wear off.

Supporting your loved one with AUD can be extremely beneficial to their recovery. This may involve keeping them safe while they’re drinking or offering to help find a treatment that suits them. However, taking care of yourself should be of utmost importance, and it’s OK to take a step back at times and redirect attention to your own self-care. If you’re the partner of someone with AUD, you might feel isolated — or tempted to isolate out of embarrassment or shame.

If you’ve been covering up for your loved one and not talking about their addiction openly for a long time, it may seem daunting to reach out for help. However, it’s important to make sure you’re getting the support you need as well. Lean on the people around you, and, if you need to, reach out to a mental health professional to speak about your stress and what you’re going through.

Develop coping strategies that help you maintain your mental health

You might slowly begin to accept more and more unacceptable behavior. Before you realize it, you can find yourself in a full-blown abusive relationship. Whether they’re a partner, parent, or friend, living with someone with active alcohol use can create turmoil in your life. The impact on your health and how you view the world can be long lasting. If you live with someone with alcohol use disorder, you know addiction doesn’t just impact one person.

Dealing with the problem openly and honestly is the best approach. You just happen to love someone who is probably going to need professional treatment to get healthy again. Keep in mind that someone with alcohol dependence usually goes through a few stages before they are ready to make a change. Until they begin to contemplate quitting, any actions you take to “help” them quit will often be met with resistance. Substance use disorder is a primary, chronic, and progressive disease that sometimes can be fatal.

Know when to walk away from the relationships

It is further recommended that such investigation can be taken up in a qualitative manner to subjectively understand and acknowledge the pain of being a wife of an alcoholic. Moreover, longitudinal assessment of coping styles as well their outcomes can be employed. Such evidence can be further utilized in developing training and resilience-building programs for the wives of alcoholic clients. The present descriptive study aimed to investigate the problems faced and coping strategies used by the wives of alcoholics.