How to

If you can't stop drinking, here's where to get help

By GyroscopeUpdated November 15, 202611 sources

You don’t have to hit bottom, and you don’t have to do it alone. Free, confidential help is a phone call away: SAMHSA’s National Helpline is 1-800-662-4357, and it connects you to treatment near you. NIAAA says most people with alcohol problems can cut back a lot or quit, and most people who get treatment recover or improve a lot.

A lot of people put off getting help because they think it means a 28-day rehab and a label for life. For most people it doesn’t. It can be a talk with your regular doctor, a prescription, a few sessions with a counselor, a weekly group or online care. NIAAA’s advice is not to wait for a crisis, since changing sooner is more likely to work and does less damage to you and your family.

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The three ways in

NIAAA groups proven help into three kinds, and they work best combined.

Medicines. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved three medicines for alcohol use disorder. Naltrexone, a pill or a shot, reduces the urge to drink. Acamprosate eases the bad feelings some people get after they stop. Disulfiram makes you sick if you drink, which some people find useful as a backstop. NIAAA notes that none of them is addictive, and your regular doctor can prescribe them.

Talking treatments. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational counseling and family or couples counseling all help. NIAAA says getting help seems to count for more than which kind, as long as it “offers empathy, avoids heavy-handed confrontation, strengthens motivation, and provides concrete ways to change.”

Mutual support. Alcoholics Anonymous is the best known, with meetings in person and online. NIAAA says people in recovery who go to groups regularly do better than those who don’t. If AA doesn’t suit you, there are other options with their own approach:

• SMART Recovery, 440-951-5357
• LifeRing, 800-811-4142
• Women for Sobriety, 215-536-8026
• Secular AA and Moderation Management

People often try a few meetings before finding one that fits.

Where to find a good program

NIAAA’s Alcohol Treatment Navigator is free and has no sponsors. It walks you through finding providers, the 10 questions to ask them and how to compare quality. Care comes in four levels:

1. Outpatient: office, video or phone visits for counseling, medicine or both.
2. Intensive outpatient: several sessions a week while you live at home.
3. Residential: a 24-hour program, from light to intensive support.
4. Inpatient: medically run, 24-hour care that can manage withdrawal safely.

If it doesn’t work the first time

It often doesn’t, and that’s normal. NIAAA compares it to quitting smoking or changing how you eat: setbacks are common, you learn something each time, and each try brings you closer. Give a plan a fair trial, and if it doesn’t work, try another. In the long run, NIAAA says, your chances are good.

If it’s someone you love

You can’t make someone stop, but you can stop carrying it alone. Al-Anon and SMART Recovery Family and Friends are for the people around someone who drinks, which means you. How do I help someone who drinks too much? has what tends to help.

Not sure it’s a problem?

Am I drinking too much? has the three questions doctors use, scored as published. If your score is over the line, take it to your doctor. If it’s under and you still want to change, ways to stop or cut back is a good place to start.