Learn about the disease
This is a bit like the picture at left – can you see other faces in the flowers and the disease of alcoholism?
Understand the nature of the chemical alcohol, how alcohol affects the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic in different ways, and why the alcoholic continues to drink when drinking is obviously harming them. Learn about the early-, middle-, and late-stage symptoms of the disease and how these symptoms change as the alcoholic continues to drink. Learn about the underlying physiological changes, including adaptation, tolerance, physical dependence, and the withdrawal syndrome, all of which have a profound effect on the alcoholic’s behaviour. Finally, learn why the alcoholic needs to drink, why he becomes irritable, frustrated, and depressed when he is not drinking, and why his sincere promises to stop drinking are washed away like writing on sand.
Yes you can help an alcoholic and yourself.
BriefTSF is an educational and training manual for anyone who has some ability at interviewing. BriefTSF is an intervention for alcoholism that can help an alcoholic realise they have a problem and actually do something about it. BriefTSF is professionally designed to lead you through the process of understanding and developing a compassionate and empathic approach.
Al-Anon Family Groups provide support to people affected by someone else’s drinking – whether or not the person is still drinking. Alateen is part of Al-Anon and is designed for younger relatives and friends (through to age nineteen) of problem drinkers. Although Al-Anon is separate from Alcoholics Anonymous, it is based on the twelve steps and twelve traditions of AA, which members are encouraged to practice and apply to their lives. The program holds that “alcoholism” is a family illness and that changed attitudes can facilitate recovery. However, one of its main tenets is that others cannot change the problem drinker; only the problem drinker can change himself or herself.
Al-Anon advocates detaching yourself from the drinker’s problems while continuing to love him or her. The group encourages its members to reach their own potential and build satisfying lives regardless of what happens at home. Al-anon is not designed to get the problem drinker into treatment; rather, its intent is to provide support for the drinker’s loved ones.
Al-Anon does indeed achieve its goal of helping family members cope better. As such, its main benefit appears to be improved functioning for the family member who attends Al-Anon, not the problem drinker.
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