Literally every third family in our country knows for themselves how horrible alcoholism is when a close and loving spouse becomes addicted. Thousands of women are wondering how to get their husbands to stop drinking, especially when a person is unaware of the problem and is not trying to fight the disease himself. Let’s talk about what techniques you can use to have a chance to save yourself and your spouse from alcoholism.
What is alcoholism?
There is an opinion that alcoholism can be cured by a simple voluntary decision, and if a person is drunk, then he just does not want to change anything. First of all, we will challenge this theory, as alcoholism is the truest disease. Addiction can be characterized both physically and psychologically.
From a physiological point of view, the body is exposed to toxic substances, as a result of which metabolism is disrupted and all internal organs suffer. Degrades the brain, and with it the central nervous system. An alcoholic suffers from poor health amid drinking alcohol, does not properly perceive reality, suffers from memory loss.
From the point of view of psychology, the alcoholic "swamp" is no less dangerous - the alcoholic who drinks every day gets used to the state of carelessness and euphoria he feels at the moment of taking ethanol, his sense of responsibility is hidden. Often, addicted people lose face and moral character, after which the people around them leave them. Too many drunks who could not be cured or saved - dirt, the same alcoholics around and death in the future.
Of course, no one wants to see his life become such a nightmare. So alcoholism is a disease! If your husband is an alcoholic and you love him, be patient and help him cope with the illness.
Internal strength to quit alcohol
Let us return to the theory that any alcoholic, independently and without assistance, can stop drinking forever, because this requires only willpower and strength of character. The statement is only partially true, in cases where the addiction is exclusively psychological and has not yet caused physiological changes in the body.
It is possible for a man to get rid of alcohol and drunkenness at home only when alcohol intake has not turned into uncontrolled, systematic indulgence, without which a person feels bad and he is ready to sell his soul for a strong drink. If alcoholism has become a physical bond, people, as a rule, do not want to fight it. Alcohol restores to them a sense of euphoria and moral satisfaction, erases poor health, and falsely normalizes blood pressure, heart rate, and mental clarity. As soon as ethanol begins to be excreted from the body, the disease returns, and the drunkard again reaches the beloved fluid and drinks alcohol. In such cases, for the person to stop drinking, the intervention of specialists is necessary.
So can an alcoholic quit drinking himself?
Not if drinking has taken the form of alcoholism and does not consist of the usual, frequent use of alcohol at home.
What psychological help can be effective
If you decide to save your husband from intoxication, first of all think about what pushed him into intoxication. As a rule, only those people who are deeply dissatisfied and experience their fears and problems in silence, inside. To persuade your husband to stop drinking in the future, you need to understand the root of the problem and try to eliminate it:
- Try to spend more time with your loved one and not hide how much he or she means to you. Go out with activities together and think about what your husband was addicted to before addiction.
- In no case do not blame your husband, do not blackmail, threaten or shout - you will only achieve the opposite effect and the person will be even more closed to himself. Do not think about how to teach your husband a lesson about drunkenness, but think about how to help your spouse.
- Try to have a heart-to-heart conversation and show how happy you would be if your spouse chose a sober lifestyle again.
A person who feels important and helpful is more likely to want to give up alcohol.
If we talk about the need for professional help, to begin with, you still need to understand how to persuade your husband to stop drinking, because it is almost impossible to force a person to change without his consent. In rare cases, the alcoholic himself accepts the treatment because it means that the disease is obvious and completely dominates the drunk. Your success will become more real if you have patience and reserve good words and support for your husband.
Let's say you persuaded your husband to seek professional help. Let’s talk about which methods are considered effective and practiced in the fight against alcoholism.
Hypnotherapy
Surely everyone has heard of coding alcoholics using hypnosis. The essence of the procedure is the introduction of a dependent person into a state of ecstasy and the further suggestion of certain programs. With the help of real hypnosis, an experienced and qualified doctor can do a lot: get rid of fears and insecurities, block depression, reach the end of the root cause of alcoholism.
If you have chosen hypnotherapy, be sure to find a well-qualified specialist who has earned a reputation in the field. Remember that among doctors there are also cheaters who will not only help but also harm your husband.
Read more about this direction in the article "Coding with hypnosis from alcoholism".
Consider the most effective and popular hypnosis techniques:
- Autogenic training.
- Hypnotherapeutic therapy.
- Anchoring method.
Each of them deserves attention and is famous for its effectiveness.
Autogenic training
This type of training is based on the processes of self-hypnosis, because within each personality there is a great potential and powerful energy force. The method involves minimal intervention by the psychotherapist - the doctor only teaches the alcoholic the basics of self-hypnosis. His job is to motivate and direct the patient's thinking in the right direction.
After learning the basic techniques, the outcome of the treatment depends only on the alcoholic himself and his desire to heal. Autogenic intervention is productive only in the early stages of alcoholism, or after more serious psychological and medical help has been provided.
Hypnotherapeutic therapy
The other technique is based on treatment performed during a hypnotic trance or so-called hypnotic sleep. In this case, it is very important that the alcoholic is aware of the problem, sincerely wants to get rid of it and trust the specialist.
The session includes several stages.
- First of all, it is important to establish a trusting relationship between an alcoholic and a specialist, because to enter into an ecstasy, a person must be calm and not have to resist.
- After the usual conversation, the specialist uses psychological techniques aimed at distracting the patient. At the same time, it is essential that the conversation continues. One or two techniques are enough to put a person to sleep.
- Once the alcoholic goes into ecstasy, the doctor begins to introduce certain programs aimed at quitting alcoholism.
The effectiveness of this method is individual and depends on the professionalism of the doctor and the degree of suggestibility of the patient. Some relatives of alcoholics noticed that the effect began to appear after the first session, when others needed a course that included 3-6 visits.
Anchoring method
This technique differs in that a person should not be immersed in hypnotic sleep.
The therapist’s goal is to find and program the alcoholic’s awareness of certain, unconscious "cause-and-effect" actions. In simple words, we can give a simple example: an anchor is programmed for a word or memory, after the "collision" with which an alcoholic experiences certain emotions. Positive feelings motivate the patient to perform certain actions, negative anchors cause negative feelings and play the role of a kind of stop signal.
The anchoring method is effective in combination with drug treatment and only when the alcoholic interacts and trusts the specialist.
Group psychotherapy
Another way to stop a man from drinking alcohol is to send him to group psychotherapy sessions, known worldwide as the Alcoholics Anonymous Association.
The principle of operation of such groups is simple - classes in a group of patients with a disease tell the alcoholic that he is not alone and has many people with the same problem. "If they succeed, then I can too, " the addict thinks, and the ice begins to move. Alcoholics communicate with each other, share experiences and problems, support each other. Being in such a society is beneficial for introspection and maintaining self-esteem.
The therapist uses game techniques to help alcoholics feel part of a team, which is also an important part of recovery.
The course of psychotherapy lasts several years, the optimal number of people in a group is from 5 to 10. The method is long, but very effective.
Family therapy
Family groups are considered no less effective, the purpose of which is to get rid of intoxication with the help of care and attention, as well as to teach women drinking men to support and understand the twin soul.
Families of addicts along with alcoholics gather in small groups and spend time together, which is especially valuable in the period when a person has just completed a course of drug treatment and it is very difficult for him to "get back". " in society. Initially the therapy is accompanied by the constant presence of a specialist, who teaches women to support and re-respect their husbands, as well as exercises various trainings aimed at reducing anxiety. It is important to clearly remember the advice of a psychologist and to show understanding. Another advantage of this method is the interaction with other families with an identical problem: both the alcoholic husband and his wife see that they are not alone in their abyss, feel their belonging to society, become more relaxed, purposeful andfriendly.
All the techniques we have listed are related to psychological help, but often the therapy can not completely eliminate the problem of alcoholism and is practiced exclusively in combination with medication.
Drug treatment for alcoholism
Let’s talk about how to deal with her husband’s drunkenness if he doesn’t want to and isn’t willing to voluntarily turn to "brainwashers".
Alcoholics' wives often complain that their drunken husband categorically does not want to be treated and does not think he is ill at all. In such cases there can be no question of professional psychological assistance, because even if it is possible to agree with an alcoholic spouse to go to the psychotherapist, he will do so as an honor and will not reinforce the efforts of the specialist withfeedback and an answer. desire to recover.
The solution to such situations is to take medication and treatment in the hospital.
Let us examine in more detail the common methods of such treatment:
- Coding. The principle of coding is to introduce to the alcoholic the information that drinking alcohol will lead to poor health and even death. Injections, tablets and alcohol blockers are used for this, as well as therapy with electrical impulses. The method is effective at every stage, even in the most severe stage of alcoholism. Women have a new lever - they try to scare the man, constantly reminding him that ethanol will lead to torture and death. Some even try to cure their husbands of alcoholism without his knowledge by adding drugs to their diet. This categorically can not be done, because allergic reactions are possible. For more information, see the article "Coding for Alcoholism. "
- Vitamin therapy. The fact is that during a binge, the body suffers from intoxication, losing useful substances and enzymes. If you give the body back what it needs, the pain of withdrawal from alcohol is significantly weakened and the person has new strength to fight addiction. Medicines offered to the alcoholic contain a large amount of vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, C, PP - they have a tonic effect and improve the well-being of the alcoholic.
- Acupuncture is another effective treatment for alcoholism. After diagnosing the stage of the disease, the specialist operates on various points of the body with acupuncture needles. Thus, the process of cleansing the body is activated, the psychological dependence is weakened. Detailed information is provided in the article "Acupuncture for Alcoholism".
- Plasmapheresis is an apparatus therapy that works by clearing the blood plasma. The blood passes through a special filter and returns to the body of the alcoholic. The method is not very demanding, as many are afraid to fight the disease so radically.
All these methods are suitable for mandatory treatment, which is agreed and planned without the knowledge of the spouse. It is important that the alcoholic be constantly monitored by specialists and that the treatment be performed exclusively by professionals.
Alternative treatment of alcoholism with non-traditional methods
It is essential to mention the fight against alcoholism with folk remedies. These include all kinds of tinctures and decoctions from a variety of herbs. Here are some of them:
- Centaury
- Lovage root.
- Lavrushka.
- Apple.
- Dear.
- Cracked root.
- Soda.
- Plants with emetic effect.
Also popular are such folk remedies as extracts and infusions of worms and insects.
Psychological advice and literature to help fight alcoholism
If your husband realizes that he is an alcoholic and is willing to make the effort to fight him, the battle can be considered won. Medical and psychological professionals offer alcoholics books that help them fight any addiction, among which alcoholism is in the first place.
There are also a large number of private offices that you can turn to for professional help.
We looked at what needs to be done for the husband to stop drinking. The prognosis of recovery depends not only on the individual characteristics of the alcoholic's body and his desire to be cured, but also on your support and participation. By no means do I want to convey that I recommend for the mother to be inactive.
How to make your husband stop drinking alcohol? Acknowledge that he is sick, convince your husband of this and show him that you are not indifferent to his fate.