Literally one in three families in our country knows firsthand how terrible alcoholism is when a dear and dear husband becomes addicted. Thousands of women are pondering 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 on their own. 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 with a simple strong-willed 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 defined as both physical and psychological.
From a physiological point of view, the body is exposed to toxic substances, as a result of which the metabolism is disrupted and all internal organs suffer from it. It degrades the brain and with it the central nervous system. An alcoholic suffers from poor health between alcohol consumption, does not perceive reality adequately, 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 neglect and euphoria he feels when taking ethanol, his sense of responsibility is canceled. Often addicted people lose face and moral character, after which the people around them turn away from them. The sack of drunks who couldn't be cured or saved: filth, the same alcoholics around and death in the future.
Of course, no man wants to see his life become such a nightmare. Hence, alcoholism is a disease! If your husband is an alcoholic and you love him, be patient and help him cope with the disease.
The inner strength to stop drinking alcohol
Let's go back 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 organism.
It is possible to wean a husband from alcohol and drunkenness at home only when alcohol intake has not turned into systematic and uncontrolled binges, without which a person feels bad and is ready to sell his soul for a drink strong. If alcoholism has turned into physical attachment, then people, as a rule, do not want to fight it. Alcohol returns them a sense of euphoria and moral satisfaction, clears ill health and falsely normalizes their blood pressure, heart rate, and mental clarity. As soon as the ethanol begins to be expelled from the body, the malaise returns and the drunkard reaches the precious liquid again and drinks alcohol. In such cases, in order for a person to stop drinking, the intervention of specialists is necessary.
So, can an alcoholic stop drinking on their own?
No, if the drinking takes the form of alcoholism and does not consist in the usual and frequent domestic consumption of alcohol.
What psychological help can be effective
If you decide to save your husband from drunkenness, first of all think about what drove him into drunkenness. As a rule, only those people who are deeply unhappy and experience their fears and problems in silence, inside. To get your husband to stop drinking in the future, you need to understand the root of the problem and try to eradicate it:
- He tries to spend more time with your loved one and not hide how much he means to you. Plan activities together and think about what your husband was addicted to before the addiction.
- In no case do not blame your husband, do not blackmail, do not threaten or shout - you will only get the opposite effect and the person will become even more withdrawn. Don't think about how to teach your husband a lesson in drunkenness, but think about how to help your spouse.
- Try to talk heart to heart and tell him 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, to begin with, you still need to figure out how to get 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 evident 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 which 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 an addict into a trance state and further suggest certain programs. With the help of true hypnosis, an experienced and qualified doctor can do a lot: get rid of fears and insecurities, stop depression, get to the bottom of the root cause of alcoholism.
If you have chosen hypnotherapy, take care to find a good and qualified specialist who has earned a name in this area. Remember that among the doctors there are also scammers who will not only help, but can also harm your husband.
More about this direction in the article "Coding with hypnosis from alcoholism".
Consider the most effective and popular hypnosis techniques:
- Autogenic training.
- Hypnosuggestional 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 enormous potential and a 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 give impetus and direct the patient's thinking in the right direction.
Having learned the basic techniques, the result of treatment depends solely on the alcoholic himself and his desire to recover. Autogenic intervention is only productive in the early stages of alcoholism, or after more serious psychological and medical assistance has already been provided.
Hypnosuggestional 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 is aware of the problem, sincerely wants to get rid of it and trusts the specialist.
The session consists of several phases.
- First of all, it is important to establish a relationship of trust between an alcoholic and a specialist, because to enter a trance a person must be relaxed and must not resist.
- After the usual interview, the specialist resorts to psychological techniques aimed at spreading 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 starts instilling some programs aimed at quitting alcoholism.
The effectiveness of this method is individual and depends on the doctor's professionalism and the patient's degree of suggestibility. Some relatives of alcoholics noticed that the effect began to manifest itself after the first session, when others needed a course that included 3-6 visits.
Anchoring method
This technique differs in that a person does not have to be immersed in hypnotic sleep.
The therapist's goal is to find and program the alcoholic's consciousness for certain unconscious "cause and effect" actions. Put simply, we can give a simple example: an anchor is programmed for a word or memory, about the "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 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 husband from drinking alcohol is to send him to group psychotherapy sessions, known worldwide as the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The principle of operation of such groups is simple: the lessons in a group of patients with a disorder show the alcoholic that he is not alone and that there are many people with the same problem. "If they can, 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 useful for introspection and maintenance of 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 long, 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 husbands who drink to support and understand their soul mate.
Families of drug 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 "recover" into society. At first, the therapy is accompanied by the constant presence of a specialist who teaches wives to support and respect their husbands, and also practices various training courses aimed at reducing anxiety. It is important to clearly remember the advice of a psychologist and 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, they feel their belonging to society, they become more relaxed, purposeful and friendly.
All the techniques we have listed concern psychological assistance, but often the therapy fails to completely eradicate the problem of alcoholism and is practiced exclusively in combination with drugs.
Drug treatment for alcoholism
Let's talk about how to deal with your husband's drunkenness, if she doesn't want it and isn't 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 at all that he is sick. In such cases, one cannot speak of professional psychological assistance, because even if it is possible to arrange with an alcoholic husband to go to a psychotherapist, he will do it as a favor and will not reinforce the efforts of the specialist with feedback and a desire to recover.
The solution to such situations is medication and hospital treatment.
Let's consider in more detail the common methods of such treatment:
- Coding. The coding principle is to instill information in the alcoholic that drinking alcohol will lead to poor health and even death. For this, alcohol injections, tablets and blockers are used, as well as electrical pulse therapy. The method is effective in any, even in the most severe stage of alcoholism. Wives have a new leverage: they try to scare their husbands, constantly reminding them that ethanol will lead to torture and death. Some even try to cure their husbands 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 "Coding for Alcoholism" article.
- Vitamin therapy. The fact is that during a binge, the body suffers from intoxication, losing useful substances and enzymes. If you give the body what it needs again, the pangs of alcohol withdrawal are greatly weakened and the person has new strength to fight the 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 cleansing process of the body is activated, psychological dependence is weakened. Detailed information is presented in the article "Acupuncture for Alcoholism".
- Plasmapheresis is an apparatus therapy that works by purifying the blood plasma. The blood is passed through a special filter and returned to the alcoholic's body. The method is not in great demand, 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 husband. It is important that the alcoholic is constantly monitored by specialists and that the 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 are some of them:
- Centaury
- Lovage root.
- Lavrushka.
- Apple.
- Treasure.
- Root of hooves.
- Drink.
- Plants with emetic effect.
Folk remedies such as extracts and infusions of worms and insects are also popular.
Psychological counseling 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, including alcoholism 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 for recovery depends not only on the individual characteristics of the alcoholic's body and his desire for treatment, but also on your support and participation. In no case try to teach your husband a lesson in 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 show him that you are not indifferent to his fate of him.