Alcohol and substance abuse is a very common problem, not just in the United States, but all over the world. This is due to the fact that while they may be dangerous substances essentially, they are unregulated in a majority of countries, which leads to people misusing and abusing them.
Counselling a person in order to assist them with quitting the abuse of alcohol is often seen as a straightforward matter, with very little effort going into it. This is not true, as the subject involves a person who has become dependent on a foreign substance, in order to maintain their sanity, whatever measure of t is still there. There are also some surprising facts about alcohol counselling that every person who is dealing with an alcohol addiction case near them needs to know.
4 Facts about Alcohol Counselling You Need to Know
To that end, following are the alcohol counselling facts that you need to know before you attempt to counsel someone out of their addiction.
Alcohol takes the place of a person in an addict’s life
Astounding as it may sound; it is true that the addict begins to treat alcohol as a human accompaniment. This is because of the chemical changes which alcohol induces in the brain, which are somewhat similar to the changes one experiences during euphoric moments with friends. The person doing the counselling should take into account that their approach should the same as if they were asking the addict to let go of a damaging friendship.
Alcohol counselling has more chances of failing than drug-addiction counselling
Since alcohol is more readily available, as compared to the mainstream drugs, and even medicinal opiates, the addict has greater chances of relapsing quickly. All they have to do is visit the supermarket to have the cravings set in once again. This is why the counsellor needs to be more careful with their guidance, and has to convince the addict to stay away from alcohol not matter in which setting they see it; be it while shopping or during a lunch at home etc.
Counselling for alcohol abuse requires a multi-platform approach
This is the age of social media, and the person doing the counselling needs to take advantage of all the platforms where they can approach the addict. If the latter is not on any such platforms, they should be encouraged to be so, since increased social exposure allows the addict to have more outlets for their emotions and thoughts, which prevents them from relapsing into alcohol abuse.
Listening skills are multiple times more important than guidance
While counselling consists mostly of thorough guidance, a counsellor needs to be a good listener as well. This is a quality that is often overlooked, especially when it is not a professional counsellor helping the addict. If one is counselling a non-clinically diagnosed addict, the person needs to have excellent listening skills, which make the addict feel like they have someone who can listen to them in their hour of need.
