Literally every third family in our country knows firsthand how terrible alcoholism is when a close and dear husband becomes addicted. Thousands of women are pondering how to get their husband to stop drinking, especially when a person is not aware of the problem and is not trying to fight the disease on his own. Let's talk about what techniques you can resort to so that you 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 volitional decision, and if a person is a drinker, then he simply does not want to change anything. First of all, we will challenge this theory, since alcoholism is the most real disease. Addiction can be characterized as both physical and psychological.
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 in between drinking alcohol, does not adequately 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, which he feels at the moments of taking ethanol, his sense of responsibility is erased. Often, addicted people lose face and moral character, after which the people around them turn away from them. The lot of drunks who could not be cured or saved - dirt, the same alcoholics around and death in the future.
Obviously, no one voluntarily wants to see his life turn into 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 disease.
Inner strength to quit alcohol
Let's return to the theory that any alcoholic, independently and without assistance, can stop drinking forever, for this only willpower and strength of character are needed. The statement is only partially true, in cases where the addiction is exclusively psychological and has not yet triggered physiological changes in the body.
It is possible to wean a husband from alcohol and drunkenness at home only when the alcohol intake has not turned into uncontrolled, systematic binges, without which a person feels bad, and he is ready to sell his soul for a strong drink. If alcoholism has turned into physical attachment, people tend to be reluctant to fight it. Alcohol returns 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 malaise returns, and the drunkard again reaches for the cherished liquid and drinks alcohol. In such cases, in order for a person to stop drinking, the intervention of specialists is necessary.
So, can an alcoholic quit drinking himself?
No, if the drinking took the form of alcoholism, and does not consist in the usual, frequent household use of alcohol.
What psychological help can be effective
If you decide to save your husband from drunkenness, first of all think about what prompted him to drunkenness. As a rule, only those people who are deeply unhappy and who experience their fears and problems silently, inside, go into the binge. To convince your husband to stop drinking in the future, you need to understand the root of the problem and try to eradicate it:
- Try to devote more time to your loved one and not hide how much he means to you. Come up 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, do not threaten or shout - you will achieve only the opposite effect and the person will become even more closed in himself. Do not think about how to teach your husband a lesson for drunkenness, but think about how to help your spouse.
- Try to have a heart-to-heart talk and tell how happy you would be if your spouse chose a sober lifestyle again.
A person who feels important and useful is more likely to want to give up alcohol.
If we talk about the need for professional help, first you still have to figure out 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 agrees to treatment, because it means that the disease is obvious and completely dominates the drunkard. Your success will become more real if you have patience and stock up on kind words and support for your husband.
Let's say you convinced your husband to seek professional help. Let's talk about what methods are considered effective and are practiced in the fight against alcoholism.
Hypnotherapy
Surely everyone has heard of the coding of alcoholics using hypnosis. The essence of the procedure is to introduce a dependent person into a trance state and further suggest certain programs. With the help of real hypnosis, an experienced, qualified doctor can do a lot: get rid of fears and insecurities, block depression, get to the bottom of the root cause of alcoholism.
If you have chosen hypnotherapy, take care of finding a good, qualified specialist who has earned a name in this area. Remember that among doctors there are also swindlers who will not only not help, but can 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.
- Hypnosuggestational therapy.
- Anchor 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 inside each personality there is a huge potential and powerful energy force. The method implies minimal intervention of the psychotherapist - the doctor only teaches the alcoholic the basics of self-hypnosis. Its task is to give impetus and direct the patient's thinking in the right direction.
After learning the basic techniques, the result of treatment depends solely on the alcoholic himself and his desire to recover. Autogenic intervention is productive only in the early stages of alcoholism, or after more serious psychological and medical assistance has already been provided.
Hypnosuggestational therapy
The next technique is based on the treatment carried out during a hypnotic trance or the so-called sleep under hypnosis. In this case, it is very important that the alcoholic be aware of the problem, sincerely want 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 in order to enter a trance, a person must be relaxed and must not resist.
- After the usual conversation, the specialist resorts to psychological techniques aimed at diffusing the patient's attention. At the same time, it is essential to keep the conversation going. One or two techniques are enough to put a person to sleep.
- After the alcoholic goes into a trance, the doctor begins to instill 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 noted that the effect began to manifest itself after the first session, when others needed a course that included 3-6 visits.
Anchor method
This technique differs in that a person does not have to be immersed in hypnotic sleep.
The goal of the therapist is to find and program the consciousness of the alcoholic for certain, "cause-and-effect" unconscious actions. In simple terms, we can give a simple example: an anchor is programmed for a word or memory, upon "collision" with which an alcoholic experiences certain emotions. Positive sensations induce the patient to perform certain actions, negative anchors cause negative sensations and play the role of a kind of stop signal.
The anchor 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 husband from drinking alcohol is to send him to group psychotherapy sessions, known throughout the world as the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The principle of operation of such groups is simple - classes in a group of patients with one ailment show the alcoholic that he is not alone and there are many people with the same problem. "If they cope, then I can, too, " the addict thinks and the ice starts 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 play 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 lengthy, but very effective.
Family therapy
Family groups are considered no less effective, the purpose of which is to wean from drunkenness with the help of care and attention, as well as to teach the wives of drinking husbands to support and understand their soul mate.
Families of addicts, together with alcoholics, gather in small groups and spend time together, which is especially valuable at a time when a person has just completed a course of drug treatment and it is very difficult for him to "restore" himself in society. At first, therapy is accompanied by the constant presence of a specialist who teaches wives to support and re-respect their husbands, and also practices various trainings aimed at reducing anxiety. It is important to clearly remember the advice of a psychologist and show understanding. Another advantage of this method is 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 and friendly.
All of the techniques we have listed relate to psychological assistance, but often therapy cannot completely eradicate the problem of alcoholism and is practiced exclusively in combination with medications.
Drug treatment for alcoholism
Let's talk about how to deal with husband's drunkenness, if he does not want it and is not ready to voluntarily turn to the "brainwashers".
Often the wives of alcoholics complain that their drinking husband categorically does not want to be treated and does not think that he is sick 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 husband to go to a psychotherapist, he will do it as a favor and will not reinforce the specialist's efforts with feedback and a desire to recover.
The solution to such situations is taking medications and inpatient treatment.
Let's consider the common methods of such treatment in more detail:
- Coding. The principle of coding is to instill in the alcoholic the information that drinking alcohol will lead to poor health and even death. For this, injections, tablets and alcohol blockers are used, as well as electrical impulse therapy. The method is effective at any, even the most severe stage of alcoholism. The wives have a new lever - they try to scare the husband, constantly reminding them that ethanol will lead to torture and death. Some even try to cure the husband of alcoholism without his knowledge by adding drugs to food. This categorically cannot 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 nutrients and enzymes. If you give the body what it needs again, the pangs of withdrawal from alcohol are significantly weakened, and the person has new strength to fight addiction. The drugs 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 acts on various points of the body with acupuncture needles. Thus, the process of cleansing the body is activated, psychological dependence is weakened. Detailed information is presented in the article "Acupuncture for alcoholism".
- Plasmapheresis is an apparatus therapy that acts by purifying the blood plasma. The blood is passed through a special filter and returned to the alcoholic's body. The method is not very much in demand, since many are afraid to fight the disease so radically.
All of these methods are suitable for compulsory treatment, which is agreed and planned without the knowledge of the husband. It is important that the alcoholic is constantly monitored by specialists and that treatment is carried out 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 plants. Here is some of them:
- Centaury
- Lovage root.
- Lavrushka.
- Apple.
- Honey.
- Clefthoof root.
- Soda.
- Plants with an 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 an effort to fight it, the battle can be considered won. Medical and psychological professionals offer books to alcoholics that help them fight any addictions, among which alcoholism is in the first place.
There are also a huge number of private offices that you can turn to for help from professionals.
We looked at what needs to be done to get 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. In no case try to teach your husband a lesson for drunkenness with rudeness and anger, because this will have the opposite effect and your drunkard will only make sure that he is not loved and understood.
How to get your husband to stop drinking alcohol? Admit that he is sick, convince your husband of this and prove to him that you are not indifferent to his fate.