Tag: Family And Friends

Attend Parties That Do Not Serve Alcohol

If you are living with an alcoholic that is still drinking or is attending AA or another treatment, you have to plan for the parties or events that you attend. Going to a brat fry where alcohol is served is not the best idea. Attending a wine tasting event or joining friends for a birthday party where alcohol will be served should be avoided. Your life is different when you live with an alcoholic. You try to stay away from events that serve alcohol, even a family gathering. You even change the way you have parties and hope that everyone understands.

If you are having a party, you should have a non-alcohol party. This can be hard to sell to your friends and family, but if they know the situation, they should be more than happy to attend and do without the drinking. In some cases, you might have a smaller party than you wanted. However, you have to think positive. You are doing this for the both of you and not for anyone else. It can be a touchy situation if the family and friends do not know why you are doing this.

If your guests are confused, you can explain or tell them that you do not feel it is appropriate at the time. If they understand the problem, they may be more apt to attend and have a good time without drinking. Not all of the people will accept what you are saying, but in most cases, people that care will be willing to have an alcohol free party. It can be hard for the recovering alcoholic to be around any alcohol and this is the only way you can help. If the person is still drinking, this can save from some embarrassing moments.

Try to attend parties that are not serving alcohol. This is hard if your friends and family drink. Try making some new friends that do not have to drink. In some cases, a person that attends group meetings will make friends with other members and they will enjoy doing things together with their families. This is just another way that groups help the alcoholic. If you have some other things you can do, you do them. Family picnics or even taking the kids on a hike does not require alcohol. Do things that will not tempt the person to drink.

Attend some events where alcohol is not served and have fun. You have to show him or her that you can have fun without drinking. This might be hard to do because the person may be annoyed or depressed because they would rather drink. You just have to enjoy yourself and show them that it is fun to do things without drinking. You could be fighting a losing battle, but at least you will have a few hours without someone being intoxicated. This is great if you have kids.

If you are having a child’s birthday, do not serve alcohol to anyone. People always seem to have alcoholic beverages at a kids birthday parties, but you can refrain and have a party for the kids instead for the adults. Just make it known that this is a party for a kid and you do not feel that alcohol is needed. You could also explain that there are problems with alcohol in the family and you prefer to keep the party free from any drinking.

Be prepared for an attitude from the alcoholic when you attend parties with no alcohol. They can become upset, inattentive, depressed and frigidity. You can only try to enjoy yourself and try to include them in the fun. The alcoholic that needs alcohol will have to start to have fun or suffer. This is harsh, but it is the only way to show them that you are serious about enjoying things without the drinking. It is possible to get them to have fun. You just have to try and include them, but do not force them to try. They will get the picture when they see you enjoying yourself.

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Friends and Family Can Help with Alcoholic Problems

You do not have to go it alone. You can join a support group and talk with family and friends about what you are living with. It is important that you are not alone in what you are living with. If you think that it will make people feel differently about the person, you may be right, but then again, the alcoholic does not care anyway. You need to have someone to talk to or confide in if you do not join a support group. You would be surprised at how many friends and family already know that there is a problem.

Talk to your family about the problem. You need the support of your family to make it when you live with an alcoholic. They can offer advice and support, but also they will know what you are going through. Some of your family made be understanding sand some may be a bit skeptic about the problem. It is not unusual for family members to be in denial as much as the alcoholic is if they think that he or she is the greatest. You still need to let everyone know what is happening.

Talk to your friends about the problem. Many times a friend can see things that you cannot. Sometimes they already know, but did not want to say anything until you brought it up for conversations. If you do talk with friends, you have to make sure that they are not going to gossip about the situation, which could make matters worst. You can talk to close friends that understand. Maybe they have even been in the same situation. This can help you more than you think. If you do not or cannot join a group, the friends and family are the next best thing to have supporting you.

Talk to his or her family about the problem only if you feel that they care about it. The same goes for his or her friends. Since you can talk to your friends and family, it would be nice if you could talk to his or her family. This can be a touchy area, as most families do not want to admit that their family member has a drinking problem. If you can find just one member of the family or just one friend, you can talk to them for help and support. Sometimes they can help by talking to the family member when you are not around.

You need to have family and friends that can support you if you want to live with an alcoholic. This is the only way that you will be able to stay sane. If you have an abusive relationship when the person is drinking, you need to have someone that knows what is going on in your home. It is always better to talk to a support group, but for some reason, that might not be an option for you. They may even be able to help you if you need to get away for a while and breathe easy for a few days.

Be open and honest. If things are not good, explain this and ask for suggestions. Many times, it is easier to hide behind the scenes and not say anything. Unfortunately, this is not a good idea. If you live with an alcoholic, you have to have support and someone that knows what you are going through. This is important if something would happen to you or the alcoholic. Even if you think that nothing could ever happen, you are wrong. Someone that drinks and for long periods, does not always think rationally or even know what they do.

Never ask a family or friend to talk to the alcoholic unless they know the person better than you do. This could make him or her upset with you, but it might help if they have a respect for that person. Living with an alcoholic is not easy and you will find times that you even make mistakes, but you are only trying to help and some day he or she may be able to see that.

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