Follow us on twitter
Home
reducing harm caused by alcohol

Helping Somone with a Drink Problem

Drinking to excess causes harm to other people.  Harmful use of alcohol can affect the lives of people, can devastate families and can damage the fabric of communities.  

If you are worried about someone you care about e.g. a partner, relative or friend, who may be experiencing problems with alcohol you have to look at how they are behaving:
  • Do they try to keep the amount they are drinking a secret?
  • Do they hide drink?
  • Do they find it difficult to stop drinking when others in their company stop?
  • Do they forget things that happened when they are drinking?
  • Do they buy extra drinks for themselves in between rounds?
  • Do they promise that they will cut down or stop drinking?
  • Do they take large quantities of alcohol without appearing drunk?
If you answered yes at least once, you can be sure that their alcohol use can be a cause for concern.

Problems with relationships and erratic behaviour along with home and health problems are also signs of an alcohol problem.

Acknowledging the problem is the first step.  If you want to help you need to:
  • Appreciate that their drinking is causing problems
  • Be direct
  • Refuse to make excuses for them
  • Accept that you cannot rationalise their reasons for drinking
  • Recongise that putting additional pressures on them is not helpful.

Seeking help  

It can be difficult for someone to admit they need help.  Offering to accompany them to visit their GP, who may offer advice and support or will direct them to appropriate services or groups who can help, is a good place to begin.

Helping someone to come to terms with their drinking is challenging but by accessing information, support or help you can help them make the changes that can result in reducing the harm caused to the themselves, their family and friends.

Search by area

You can find support services throughout Scotland using the search facility below.