How to Help an Alcoholic Husband
Alcoholism not only affects the person with the bottle in his hand, but his family and friends as well. It takes a great deal of persistence and patience for a wife to help an alcoholic husband before he tears the marriage and family apart. Thankfully, there are things you can do to help him accept his problem and get help before it is too late.
Instructions
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Pay attention to his behavior and recognize the signs of a drinking problem. Personality changes, such as becoming more argumentative, outgoing, short-tempered, or irritable when he is usually just the opposite could be signs of alcoholism. Being arrested while driving under the influence or losing his job because of tardiness, absenteeism, or poor performance are also signs of a problem.
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Be optimistic and positive around your husband as much as possible. If he begins to feel more confident that things are not so bad, he may be willing to put down the bottle.
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Speak with your husband about how his drinking affects you and the children, if you have any. Tell him how you all feel when he is drinking, but only do this when he is sober and you have his full attention. This could be the intervention needed to make him realize that his actions are negatively affecting the family.
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Contact someone who can help your husband overcome his alcohol addiction. It is usually much more effective to have someone outside the family talk to him because they have less connection with him and can be less emotional.
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Avoid cleaning up the messes your husband creates while drinking. He needs to realize there are consequences for his behavior, and constantly helping him out of trouble will only show your support for the negative actions.
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Learn as much as you can about alcoholism so you can understand why people turn to alcohol. This will make you more aware of why your husband feels the need to drink, and can sometimes allow you to be more effective in your attempts to get him to quit drinking.
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Join Alcoholics Anonymous, even if your husband refuses to go with you. The organization is a great resource for information and support for family and friends. Seeing you committing to attending these meetings could make your husband come around and visit one himself.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not threaten your husband by saying you will leave him if he does not quit drinking. This is likely to create hostility, which is something most drinkers do not handle well.
