Many individuals have partners with alcohol problems. You might have a spouse who is an alcoholic or a problem drinker. If you are not married, you may live with a partner who’s drinking more than you feel they should.
Help for alcohol addiction is always available at various treatment centers around the country, but you will need to convince your partner or spouse to seek help first. Here are some tips that might help you as you sit down with your partner to have a serious talk about their drinking.
Try Not to Be Too Confrontational
One of the most crucial things to remember if you are going to talk to your partner about their drinking is that if you’re too confrontational, you’re going to make them feel attacked. That is almost certain to elicit a negative reaction.
Try to make it clear that you’re bringing up this topic because you love them and you’re worried about them, not because you’re mad at them. If they sense hostility from you, they will likely get defensive.
Have a List of Reasons for Why You Feel the Way You Do
Make sure you have created a list of reasons why you’re worried. Give them concrete examples of times when their drinking and the resulting behavior bothered you. If you have lived with them for a long time or you have been together for a while, you will probably have no trouble coming up with this sort of list.
Make Sure You Pick a Good Time
If you try to have this talk with your partner or spouse when they are at a very low point in their life, it’s not likely to go over very well. You may feel like there’s never going to be an ideal time to have this talk. While that’s probably true, you can still attempt to be selective. Try to bring it up when they are in a good mood rather than a bad one.
Plan Your Strategy Beforehand
Rehearse what you’re going to say to your partner before you start talking. You don’t need an entire script prepared word for word, but you should have some talking points in mind before you launch into your speech.
There are probably things you’ve wanted to say for some time. You will want to hit all the most important talking points to have the best chance at getting through to the problem drinker in your life.
Talk About Why They Might Be Drinking Too Much
It can often be helpful to ask your partner why they feel the need to drink so much if you don’t already know. Even if you think you know why they drink alcohol excessively, it’s not a bad idea to ask them to articulate it.
Once they tell you why they’re behaving this way, you can work on getting them away from the triggers or situations that might cause them to relapse, assuming they’re willing to stop drinking or modify the behavior for you.
