A To Z On Alcohol Counseling

1. A To Z On Alcohol Counseling

2. Synopsis • Effective Alcohol Counseling Practices • Major Benefits of Alcohol Counseling • Addiction Counseling for Alcoholics • The Relation between Alcohol Addiction Counselling and Mental Health Reform • Why Alcohol Counseling Should Be A Mainstream Practice • 4 Alcohol Counseling Benefits Everyone Should Know • 4 Surprising Facts Regarding Alcohol Counselling • Alcohol Counselling Tips and Best Practices for the Amateur Counsellor

3. Effective Alcohol Counseling Practices • Have a well constructed counseling plan • Different people have different counseling needs, all of which need to be considered when approaching the task. However, there are some counseling course stages which need to stay consistent throughout. This is why it is important to have a well-constructed counseling plan beforehand, so that when the counseling process actually starts, the counselor will already have a plan of action, and will be able to track the progress of the alcoholic. • Be very confident with the initial approach • The very first experience that the alcoholic has with the counselor is perhaps the most important. This is why the initial approach needs to exude confidence in both the counselor’s abilities, as well as the addict’s capability for recovery. The combination of both will instill confidence in the addict, regarding the prospect of their recovery. This is a very important asset, since it will encourage them to let go of the addiction sooner, rather than later. • Get to the reason behind the addiction • Often when a person starts to resort to a substance to bring them a measure of comfort, there is an underlying reason behind this. It could be a plethora of domestic issues, or lagging performance at work. In any case, it is important for the counselor to get to the root cause of the issue, before they get to the recovery phase of the counseling plan. • Work alongside, not over the alcoholic • Perhaps the most important factor of all is that the counselors not suggest, during the counseling session, that they are in any way superior to the alcoholics. This is extremely detrimental to the confidence of the addict, since they do not need a patronizing and overbearing voice; rather a gentle and accompanying one, which they can search for beside them, not above them.

4. Major Benefits of Alcohol Counseling • Assists in Healing Attachment Issues • In majority of the cases, individual had gone through insecurity and trust issues when their where kids due to issues like unstable homes, absent parents, abuse and neglect. As adults, alcohol or other addictions offers these individuals as a feeling of dependable attachment. Counseling helps individuals in breaking these strong attachments they have with alcohol. • Prevents Unhealthy Stressors’ Responses • Alcohol counseling includes cognitive behavioral therapy which assists individuals in identifying their self-destructive and misguided reactions towards certain situations, thoughts and individuals which motivates them to use alcohol. Counseling encourages these individuals to discover healthier and new ways to respond to those stressors in order to modify the addictive behaviors. • Enhances Relationships • Family therapy and meetings is an essential element of successful recovery of the individual and decreases the risk of relapse.

5. Major Benefits of Alcohol Counseling • Even when family is not the reason for the addiction, it still has a major impact on all family members. Counseling helps the individual and their family members to openly address the problem, ask questions, offer support and enhance the overall communication. Openly interacting helps the entire family to deal with this issue and start the healing process. • Encourages Mutual Sharing Support • Through group therapy, the individual can participate in building a mutual sharing and support system with others going through the same problem. Sharing common fears, frustrations, and experiences in a controlled and safe environment enhances the recovery process. It helps the individual in realizing that they are not alone and others are also struggling to get better. • Avoids Dual Diagnosis • Majority of alcohol addiction to be linked with some mental health issues like bipolar disorder, depression or anxiety. If this mental issue is not treated then a sustainable and successful recovery plan can’t be achieved. Counseling helps in identifying this dual diagnosis and offers the right treatment plan needed to tackle the addiction as well as the mental disorder.

6. Addiction Counseling for Alcoholics • The counselor could talk to the person’s family to motivate him/her to change. Counseling requires evaluating the types and severity of problems faced by the drinker as well as problems caused to significant others. Since there are several therapeutic approaches, the counselor needs to determine the approach that works best for the victim in avoiding alcohol and preventing relapse. The earlier the help is sought, the better. • Counselor needs to motivate the drinker to stop alcohol consumption, make him acknowledge the cues in the environment, learn to adopt healthy coping mechanisms to maintain well-being and seek help from support groups. • Cognitive behavioral, family and group therapies are effective in helping dependents abstain from alcohol. Family members should be taught how to offer support to the drinker and understand how it works, what is causing it and what can be done to stop it. The person may not be able to resolve his alcohol issue alone. Counseling, family support and environmental support all play a combined role in thwarting alcohol consumption. The counselor needs to make sure the family and environment are not reinforcing alcohol consumption.

7. The Relation between Alcohol Addiction Counselling and Mental Health Reform • While the two may be for different purposes, the fact of the matter is that they are both interconnected, especially if the sufferer of the addiction is also a sufferer of mental illness. This is intensified if the person suffers from an addiction because they have a mental illness. In this case, the counselor has to tackle the root cause of the issue first, before they can get to the damaging act that results from the issue. • The counselor has to first determine why the person is taking up alcohol consumption. Here, the counselor, preferably a professional, also has to determine which type of mental illness is driving the person to seek refuge with alcohol. • It could be that the alcoholic has chronic depression, which they counter with alcohol. The individual may be suffering from crippling anxiety, which could very easily turn them towards alcohol consumption, since alcohol is known to remove all inhibitions. And, most disturbingly, the alcoholism could be due to Antisocial Personality Disorder, in which a person could resort to alcoholism to escape the feelings of aggression and frustration they experience.

8. Why Alcohol Counseling Should Be A Mainstream Practice • Alcohol is a lot more addictive than most substances, which is why people get very easily addicted to it, and start abusing it. This particular capability is reason enough why we need to spread more addiction-related awareness. • Alcoholic drinks are readily available, which increases the chances of excessive consumption. One can find beer and some stronger alcoholic drinks in pharmacies in the US. This should be talked about more, and addicts should be made to ignore the regular availability. • Counseling is the only way to save an alcoholic, since there is no medicine that helps with it. Putting a person on medication to help with alcohol addiction would be like taking them away from one addictive substance and putting them on to another, which is why counseling should be made more common everywhere. • A lot of addiction cases start from early education centers, which is why these institutions should have counseling for alcoholism as well. • Alcoholism ruins a person’s life, and severely impacts the lives of people around them, as well as those close to them. This often goes without intervention, as the person is always assumed to be ‘under stress’ and whatnot. The truth is that individuals such as these need counseling and not immature opinions, if society is to improve.

9. 4 Alcohol Counseling Benefits Everyone Should Know • Counseling helps align life goals • When you are addicted to a substance, it can be difficult to think too much about the future and life goals. Counseling, however, snaps a person out of this state, and forces them to consider their own future, which helps them align their goals in life. • Talking about addiction makes it easier to tackle • Admittance is the very first step towards improvement; this is a fact that every addict needs to know, and subscribe to. When we lay out the problems which plague us, we encourage the solutions to those problems, and come up with reasons why we should get rid of them as well. Alcohol addiction is not talked about that much in the addict’s immediate surroundings. • Counseling could save a life • One of the major detrimental factors regarding alcohol abuse is the number of lives it claims. By counseling someone, you could very well save a life. Similarly, if you, as an alcoholic, opt for counseling, you may be taking a positive step towards saving your own life, which is a win-win scenario. • Effective counseling makes both counselor and counselee better people • The fact that you helped prevent a disaster in the making; combined with the sense of achievement that comes with counseling, makes for the development of a more whole, and deeper personality. Similarly, if you are an alcoholic who takes counseling, you will come out of the addiction a better, more spiritual and all-round more positive person.

10. 4 Surprising Facts Regarding Alcohol Counselling • Alcohol takes the place of a person in an addict’s life • 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.

11. 4 Surprising Facts Regarding Alcohol Counselling • Counsellingfor 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.

12. Alcohol Counselling Tips and Best Practices for the Amateur Counsellor • Put the person’s addiction into perspective • The very first step towards a cure is a perspective. When someone is addicted to alcohol, or any substance, they do not see their addiction, or the world even, from anyone’s perspective but their own. Worse still, is the fact that their perspective if often skewed, due to the addling effects of the addiction. The best thing to do here is to make the person see the addiction and the negative effect it is having, from your own perspective, in order to enlighten them to the damage that the alcoholism is doing to their life. • Be confident while approaching them • The person who is addicted to alcohol is in this state due to a lack of conviction, which leads them to seek alternate means which provide them with some. When approaching them for counseling purposes, be sure to have a certain degree of conviction and confidence in your approach. Just enough to reflect positively on them. If you are confident about helping them, then they too will be confident about seeking help from you. • Find out the history behind the alcohol abuse • There is always a reason behind a person picking up a habit, be it material, or related to addiction, such as the consumption of alcohol. When counseling an alcohol addict, try to get to the root cause of their addiction, and target that cause during the next counseling meeting. It may be that the person may have some misconception in their mind regarding a certain event of remorse related to a happening in their life. It is your job, as a counselor, to help them get over the source of their sadness.

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