Alcoholism can have some adverse effects on your health: your emotional well-being, professional life, and personal relationships will be affected. Nonetheless, there is a considerable percentage of alcoholics who usually function well such that they can maintain their household and their current jobs. Such individuals usually hide their alcohol addiction for many years, and they won’t incur major losses. The main issue with alcoholism is that it will cause emotional and psychological damage to the individual abusing the alcohol and other parties.
There are different categories of people involved in alcoholism, and they include:
- People who struggle to lead a normal life because of alcohol addiction
- An individual who usually functions amid alcohol abuse
If you’re a functioning alcoholic, your situation is different as compared to the people who usually suffer from alcoholism. If one of your loved ones is a secret alcoholic, you should go ahead and learn more about how to deal with such individuals and ensure they’ll get well at the end of it all.
The secret alcoholic can be your partner or even spouse. An alcoholic will gain significantly from the support they’re accorded at home after undergoing treatment to counter the addiction. Numerous resources throughout the nation can help people deal with addiction, including rehab facilities.
Why is it Hard to Deal with a Secret Alcoholic?
It is pretty challenging dealing with a secret alcoholic, considering they won’t acknowledge they have a problem when it comes to alcohol abuse. Such individuals have managed to remain composed regardless of their condition. Most of these individuals usually have loved ones and friends, and they can assist them in recovering. The secret alcoholic should be enlightened on the negative consequences that usually arise because of destructive drinking.
Focus on Identifying the Warning Signs
If you’re a secret alcoholic, you’ll rarely confess that you have a problem. However, suppose someone close to you is consuming at least three bottles of alcohol daily. In that case, it means there is an underlying issue since they are consuming a higher amount than recommended. It is recommended that you should not exceed one bottle a day, and for men, the maximum is two bottles a day.
Some of the signs that someone close to you is suffering from alcohol addiction include:
- They usually take alcohol in the morning
- They use alcohol to boost their confidence
- They take too much alcohol
- They drink alone
- They have been arrested numerous times
- They black out after drinking
- They usually fail to appear at school or work and they don’t have a concrete reason
- They always joke about the alcohol problem
- When confronted about alcohol addiction, they become agitated
The secret alcoholic is usually hard-working, intelligent, and also educated. Their personal success and professional status might intimidate you such that you’ll have a hard time addressing them about the underlying issue. The main problem is that it is not easy to drink for prolonged periods without incurring any psychological and physical consequences, including heart disease, liver disease, cancer, depression, or neurological damage.
Codependency Should be Avoided
Some people usually fall for the codependency issue when dealing with a secret alcoholic. The codependents usually sacrifice their needs to make it seem like there is normalcy at home. Some of the behaviors that indicate there is codependency include:
- Catering to the expenses of the alcoholic- paying for the traffic tickets, fines, legal fees that the secret alcoholic has incurred
- Coming up with excuses for the actions of the alcoholics- you might say the individual is too sick or even that they’re not mean at all times
- Manipulating the alcoholic to change- you can make some emotional threats to ensure the secret alcoholic feel guilty
- Concealing the consequences of heavy drinking- you can clean up the mess of the secret alcoholic before they become sober enough to see their mess
Codependency leads to the alcoholic taking more alcohol since they want to maintain the status quo. Most secret alcoholics usually earn a substantial sum of money, and they can drink while supporting their families seamlessly. The main issue is that when you intervene, the family’s financial security will be at stake regardless of whether each member of the family has to put up with the issue of emotional neglect.
Individual therapy is recommended in such instances. If the secret alcoholic has a family, they can take part in family and marriage counseling. When the self-esteem of the secret alcoholic and the people they hold dear is strengthened, building a sober and healthy relationship is possible.
If you’re ready to get started, our counselors are at your service. Call us today through 855-936-4435.
