Living with a close family member suffering from alcohol dependency issues (before or during the alcohol treatment) can be one of the toughest situations one can experience. The horrible aspect of living with an alcohol-dependent individual is the nagging feeling that you are simply witnessing to your loved one and cannot really do much about it. Though we may try hard to understand the condition, it is often the people around the victim who suffer more than the victim itself. The victim can make life hell for his loved ones through economic hardships as there is a steady drain of money to maintain the victim’s stash of supplies. The individual also causes unrest to the family environment through mood outbursts and frequent fights. However, the problem drinker who is unable to sense any of the pain inflicted insists on the fact that everything is absolutely fine.

In most cases, the destruction that the alcohol abuse brings on the family has forcefully kept a secret out of embarrassment and the fear of social humiliation. To act as if everything is alright when actually nothing is can be a real punishment. A lot of the time the family members tend to go to great lengths to cover the situation. This, however, is a wrong way to tackle the situation. A patient and honest approach is required for successful alcohol treatment because being indifferent is not going to work. A strong family that takes positive action and supports the drinker can go a long way to getting them into recovery.

First and foremost, the family should stop all rescue missions once and for all. When the member is undergoing alcohol treatment stop all attempts of saving him/her the embarrassment of what they are. Force them to face the destructive effects of their drinking which may compel them to realize and hence tackle the problem more effectively.

Always talk to the drinker about a problem that occurs due to his/her drinking right after the situation takes place, but choose on a time when he or she is sober. Speak to the individual with a calm mind and speak in private. Present the drinker with examples of various situations when the drinking habit has led to serious problems in the family. This way the patient who resists from going to go for alcohol treatment won’t be left with anything to base his point on.