Helping Others With Alcohol Addiction

If an alcoholic is unwilling to get help, what can I do about it?

That's a pretty difficult one, because there's not a huge amount that anyone else can do when an alcoholic is unwilling to get help. I think that you need to try to encourage people, to talk about being there for them. But also often it might be assisting the people around them. So, if your friend has a partner and children, it's about what support they may need. So if the person themselves isn't going to do anything, it's what needs to happen for the rest of that family.

If I suspect my teenage child is drinking what should I do?

Bear in mind, first of all, that most teenagers of certain age do drink and we must as a parents think about that. Not about accusing, but about giving information that's helpful and is not judgmental. If you have some concerns about your child that he's drinking quite problematically, then maybe you'd take them to a G.P or to the school counsellor. Thinking about it in context, in the last 10 years there's been quite a lot of press about young people and teenage drinking. There's also been a lot of promotion of alcoholic drinks towards younger people. It's important to think as the parent that it's very different - there are immediate concerns about “Oh my goodness, what is happening to my child?”. Try to find the level of that, give helpful advice and information, and talk to someone or contact a local alcohol service that can explain the situation.

Do I approach my child in the same way that I would approach an adult?

I think it's important, that if you are going to talk to your child about their drinking that you definitely should not to be judgmental. Hence, think hard before you start banning them, or saying they have to stay home, or whatever. Consider taking an approach that looks at education, and is based on the feelings and relationships you have with them. It isn't the same as talking to an adult. The pressures on children are different. And, I think we all know as parents, one of the worst things that you can do is to say "you can't go out", "you mustn't do this", "that's it"; often, that gives us the response that we don't want.

I'm concerned about my parent's drinking, what should I do?

It's important that you think about keeping yourself safe and finding someone to talk to - that may be an adult at school, like the school counselor. Equally, most burroughs have services for young people who are affected by parental drug or alcohol misuse. Indeed, in the agency that I work, we do a lot of interventions with children and young people who are concerned about parental drinking, offering them advice and support, looking at the issues for them and eventually being able to work with their parents as well. It is important to talk to someone, not hold on to it alone and not feel guilty or responsible in any way for your parents drinking too much.