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How do you help someone who can’t stop drinking?
Step 2: Offer your help –
Suggest activities that don’t include drinking alcohol. Point the person toward helpful resources and tools, such as those found at Rethinking Drinking, Encourage counseling or attending a group meeting. Offer to drive the person to and from these meetings. Keep in mind that overcoming alcohol use disorder is an ongoing process that may include setbacks. Be supportive during treatment, such as joining the person for family or group counseling meetings or just listening and being patient.
What do you say to someone who is trying to quit drinking?
Provide honest and productive feedback – Simply state facts about their drinking. You can say something like: “You had more to drink last night than you intended to. Your goal was to drink fewer than three drinks, and that was surpassed.” Offering your loved one an objective perspective on their drinking habits can help them refocus on their goals without guilting or shaming. 
Is it safe to stop drinking immediately?
Normally, we would recommend getting professional support before you try to cut down your drinking. Our free and confidential services are open as usual and can help you detox safely. Use our service finder to find a service near you or talk to us online for advice.
Alcohol detox: what to expect If attending a service isn’t possible, perhaps because you are isolating, you can use this advice on safely detoxing from alcohol at home. Make sure you read and follow the advice carefully, and always be prepared to call an ambulance in an emergency. If you’re dependent on alcohol, it can be dangerous to stop drinking suddenly.
Instead, you should try to reduce the amount you drink slowly, over a few weeks. This takes a bit of preparation, but it’s much safer than stopping suddenly. And after cutting down slowly, you’ll find it much easier to stop drinking when you’re ready. Here’s a process we recommend:
What are the habits of an alcoholic?
The path to addiction: Stages of alcoholism Moderate drinking isn’t a cause for concern in most adults. But when alcohol consumption gets out of control, you may find yourself on a dangerous path toward addiction. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that 17 million American adults have alcohol use disorders.
Another 855,000 Americans ages 12 to 17 years old have alcohol use disorders. It’s important to remember that alcoholism isn’t created overnight. It emerges out of long-term alcohol abuse. Knowing the signs and symptoms of each stage can aid you in seeking help before your problem turns into dependence and addiction.
The first stage of alcoholism is a general experimentation with alcohol. These drinkers may be new to different forms of alcohol and likely to test their limits. This experimental stage is commonly seen in young adults. These experimental drinkers also frequently engage in binge drinking.
for men, five or more alcoholic beverages within two hoursfor women, four or more alcoholic beverages within two hours
Many binge drinkers exceed this amount. This is especially true for teens who attend parties where drinking is the primary activity. You might think binge drinking is safe when you only do it occasionally, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Drinking large amounts of alcohol at one time is dangerous, and can even lead to coma or death.
Furthermore, you may become dependent on the feeling you get from drinking and find that these episodes increase in frequency. Drinkers leave the experimental stage when their alcohol consumption becomes more frequent. Instead of just drinking at parties once in a while, you may find yourself drinking every weekend.
Increased alcohol consumption can also lead to drinking for these reasons:
as an excuse to get together with friendsto alleviate stressout of boredomto combat sadness or loneliness
Regular alcohol use is different from moderate drinking. There is usually a higher emotional attachment to it. A moderate drinker might pair a glass of wine with a meal, while a regular drinker uses alcohol to feel good in general. As increased drinking continues, you become more dependent on alcohol and are at risk of developing alcoholism.
- Frequent, uncontrolled alcohol abuse eventually leads to problem drinking.
- While any form of alcohol abuse is problematic, the term “problem drinker” refers to someone who starts experiencing the impacts of their habit.
- You may become more depressed, more anxious, or start losing sleep.
- You may start to feel sick from heavy drinking, but enjoy its effects too much to care.
Many drinkers at this stage are more likely to drink and drive or experience legal troubles as a result of their drinking. There are also specific social changes related to problem drinking. These include:
relationship issuesdecreased social activity because of erratic behaviorsudden change in friendsdifficulty conversing with strangers
Alcoholism has two facets: dependence and addiction. It’s possible for a person to be dependent on alcohol, but not yet addicted. Dependence forms after the problem drinking stage. At this point, you have an attachment to alcohol that has taken over your regular routine.
You’re aware of the adverse effects, but no longer have control over your alcohol consumption. Alcohol dependence also means that you have developed a tolerance to drinking. As a result, you may have to drink larger quantities to get “buzzed” or drunk. Increased drinking has more damaging effects on the body.
Another characteristic of dependence is withdrawal. As you sober up, you may feel undesirable symptoms such as:
nausea that is unrelated to a hangoverbody tremorssweatingsevere irritabilitya racing hearttrouble sleeping
The final stage of alcoholism is addiction. At this stage, you no longer want to drink just for pleasure. Alcohol addiction is characterized by a physical and psychological need to drink. People with alcohol addiction physically crave the substance and are often inconsolable until they start drinking again.
- They may be addicted to other drugs as well.
- Compulsive behaviors are prominent in addiction, and people with alcohol addiction often drink whenever and wherever they desire.
- Learn more: Alcohol addiction » One of the biggest concerns with risky drinkers is when they don’t think they have a problem.
- Any stage of alcoholism is problematic.
Moderate drinking is the only safe way to consume alcohol, but drinking in general isn’t safe for everyone. Identifying problems with alcohol early can help prevent dependence and addiction. Medical treatment may be necessary to detoxify the body of alcohol and to obtain a fresh start.
liver damageheart diseasebrain damage malnutrition mental health disorders, including an increased risk of suicide
Talk to your doctor if you think you might have a drinking problem.
What is considered a big drinker?
What is Excessive Alcohol Use? 
What is excessive alcohol use? Excessive drinking includes:
Binge drinking: For women, binge drinking is 4 or more drinks consumed on one occasion (one occasion = 2-3 hours). For men, binge drinking is 5 or more drinks consumed on one occasion. Underage drinking: Any alcohol use by those under age 21. Heavy drinking: For women, heavy drinking is 8 drinks or more per week. For men, heavy drinking is 15 drinks or more per week. Pregnant drinking: Any alcohol use by pregnant women
What is considered a “drink”? U.S. standard drink sizes:
12 ounces of 5% ABV beer 8 ounces of 7% ABV malt liquor 5 ounces of 12% ABV wine 1.5 ounces of 40% ABV (80-proof) distilled spirits or liquor (examples: gin, rum, vodka, whiskey)
How does excessive drinking affect us?
88,000 deaths per year Violence, injuries, and motor vehicle crashes Risky sexual behaviors, unintended pregnancies, miscarriage and stillbirth Chronic conditions such as cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure $249 billion economic cost
Binge drinking is the main problem
Over 90% of excessive drinkers binge drink 1 in 6 more than 38 million U.S. adults binge drink Binge drinkers do so about 4 times a month Binge drinkers average 8 drinks per binge Most people who binge drink are not alcohol dependent or alcoholics
If you choose to drink, do so in moderation
No one should begin drinking or drink more frequently based on potential health benefits Up to 1 drink a day for women Up to 2 drinks a day for men Don’t drink at all if you are under age 21, pregnant or may be pregnant, or have health problems that could be made worse by drinking
For more information: : What is Excessive Alcohol Use?
How do you deal with someone who drank too much?
Give Them Food – Stopping alcohol consumption and giving someone food and water is the next step in ensuring they are okay. Do not let them drink any more alcohol, which will exacerbate the situation. If you want to come off as less aggressive, consider taking the person to get something to eat.