How to Help an Alcoholic Get Sober and Into Recovery

Reviewed by Claire Pinelli BA, MS, ICAADC, ICCS, MCAP, LADC, LCDC

If you’re trying to help a loved one addicted to alcohol, you may be more successful if you understand what they are going through. Most addicted people can’t admit that they have a problem. Yet it’s clear to everyone around them that they need help now. By taking the right steps, you can help them see the truth and start on the road to recovery.

One of Many People Who Need Help with Alcohol Addiction

Excessive drinking affects millions of Americans. In 2024:

• Nearly 58 million Americans binge-drank

• More than 14 million were heavy drinkers

• Nearly 28 million Americans 12 and older had an alcohol use disorder

• Of adolescents aged 12 to 17, 775,000 had this problem

A good recovery program can offer a solution to this habit that’s so hard to break. There are people who can help you get your loved one into recovery.

The Damage Excessive Alcohol Can Cause

From the outside, it’s easy to see the harm. You may see issues like these:

• Losing their family and other relationships.

• Losing work or school time because of hangovers, accidents, forgetfulness, or other mishaps.

• Spending more money on alcohol than planned

• Telling you they're trying to cut back on their drinking

• Missing important family events

• Needing that “one" drink to start the day, the “eye-opener”

• Feelings of guilt about drinking

• Hiding alcohol at home, in the car, or at work

• Falling behind at work or school

• Being late or absent for key responsibilities

• Being abusive at home or work

• Developing serious health problems

• Getting into legal trouble, including DUIs or arrests

• Losing important relationships or a job

The longer addiction to alcohol continues, the more likely it is that these issues will develop. In fact, these signs can mask something deeper—the gradual shift from casual drinking to addiction. When you get someone into a recovery and rehabilitation program, they have their best chance to get sober and their life back on track.

From “Drinking” to Addiction

The turning point comes when the individual loses the ability to make decisions about drinking. They set limits and then break them. They may decide to stop drinking time and time again, but don’t stick to their decisions. With the right support, they can finally stick to their decision to get sober.

When a person becomes addicted to alcohol, they often find it very hard to admit they have a problem. A well-meaning family may sit down with them to try to help. The person may typically refuse the help and reject the idea that they even have a problem. If you’re facing this situation, don’t give up. Provided here are some practical ways to reach them.

For the drinker, drinking appears to help them mask the problems that alcohol is creating. It also numbs the guilt, shame, and emotional pain. Even so, many people with this problem can still be reached and persuaded to accept help.

Signs of Alcohol Addiction

If you’re seeing these signs in someone you care about, it’s very likely that you are looking at alcohol addiction.

• Drinking more or longer than intended

• Strong cravings for alcohol

• Needing a drink to cope or feel normal

• Withdrawal symptoms when not drinking

• Continuing to drink despite obvious damage

• Hiding alcohol

• Lying about drinking

• Drinking alone or secretly

• Arranging their life around drinking opportunities

• Spending more time recovering from drinking

If an addicted person can’t get alcohol, they may suffer from withdrawal symptoms like these:

• Shakiness or tremors

• Sweating

• Anxiety, irritability, or agitation

• Nausea

• Insomnia

• Mood swings

• Higher blood pressure

• Confusion

Alcohol withdrawal can even be life-threatening. Symptoms like these require immediate and constant medical care:

• Hallucinations

• Seizures

• High fever

• Severe confusion or delirium

• Extreme agitation

These withdrawal symptoms reveal why quitting alone can be so hard. Care in a medical detox facility followed by a comprehensive, residential drug rehab can be the key to achieving a truly sober future.

Alcohol: What You Need to Know

Alcohol has become a widespread societal problem. Find out why. Download this booklet to get the facts about alcohol.

DOWNLOAD NOW

Talking to an Alcoholic About Getting Help

You may have already begged your loved one to quit drinking, maybe many times. With careful preparation, you can have a more successful conversation.

Start by learning about alcohol addiction and how it changes the brain, body, mind, and mood. It may be clearer to you why they haven’t been able to quit on their own. Alcohol addiction can be like a prison.

It’s also important to get familiar with alcohol treatment possibilities. Discuss them with other family members and settle on one or two choices that you believe would work best. Once you’re in agreement, you can plan how to approach the addicted person.

The Meeting with Your Loved One

Here are the key factors that can make this meeting successful.

Preparations before the meeting:

1. Choose a quiet, calm location—no children or animals.
2. Only invite strong, supportive family and friends.
3. Resolve to stay united.
4. Prepare for a conversation that could be short or very long.
5. Choose a time when they are likely to be sober, such as early morning.
6. In advance, work out financing for the treatment program, so there are no distractions.
7. Pack them a bag and set up care for children or pets.
8. Arrange for immediate transport to rehab.

During the meeting:

1. Share how their drinking concerns you and the harm you see.
2. Tell them you come to them from a position of love, concern, and care.
3. Don’t be judgmental, but be willing to be firm and unrelenting in your pleas for them to get help.
4. Emphasize concerns for their safety and health.
5. No matter what, avoid blaming or shaming them.
6. Stay calm; keep anger and frustration in check.
7. Avoid any threats or coercion; to be successful, they have to decide they are willing to accept help.
8. Assure them that the family is ready to help them enter an effective rehab.

Honest concern, repeated compassionately, will get through to many people. As soon as they admit that they need help, get them into a car immediately or onto a plane. A family member should drive them to your selected rehab or accompany them on a plane. However you do this, it is important to ensure they actually arrive in the care of skilled rehab staff who will know what to do.

What if the Meeting Fails?

Contact a professional interventionist. An interventionist has been through this process many, many times. They know how to break through resistance and denial. They'll unite the family to make the intervention successful. The rehab you choose can help you find an interventionist.

Helping a Loved One Choose Rehab

Many families in this situation have important questions that need answers. Look for your answers here:

Can an alcoholic quit/cut down on their own?

If they have tried and failed several times, they need professional help.

Will they “always be an addict,” as some programs say?

At Narconon rehab, the basic philosophy is that an addicted person doesn't have to consider that they will always be an addict. Each person is taught how they can overcome addiction for good. Our long-term experience and results have shown that it really is possible to achieve stable sobriety.

How long will it take to recover from alcoholism?

The Narconon program usually takes two to three months, though some people need more time. There is no additional charge for extended stays at Narconon. We are a results-based program, meaning each step has an expected result, and the participant will continue a step until they have achieved the needed result. If barriers occur, they will be addressed to they can get on with their program to a full result. The goal is a drug-free, productive member of society.

What can long-term alcohol use leave behind?

The damage and imbalances from chronic drinking can persist long after alcohol is gone. These include:

a. Liver damage

• Fatty liver
• Inflammation (hepatitis)
• Fibrosis or cirrhosis

b. Cell damage from alcohol breakdown

When the body breaks down alcohol, the process creates unstable molecules called free radicals. Over time, these unstable molecules can cause:

• Damage to cells
• Problems with the parts of cells that produce energy
• Inflammation throughout the body

This is the aftermath of repeated exposure to alcohol.

c. Nutrient deficiencies

Alcohol interferes with the absorption of:

• B vitamins (especially B1, B6, B12)
• Folate
• Magnesium
• Zinc

These deficiencies can leave symptoms that continue even after alcohol use stops.

d. Changes in the body’s natural gut bacteria

Long-term drinking can upset the natural balance of bacteria in the gut and weaken the lining of the intestines. This change can trigger inflammation and affect the immune system.

e. Brain and neurological changes

Chronic alcohol use can lead to:

• Cognitive impairment
• Mood changes
• Peripheral neuropathy

These effects continue even after the body has processed the alcohol.

So what’s really happening?

• Cumulative damage
• Impaired repair processes
• Disrupted biochemistry
• Lingering inflammation

The body may struggle with the task of recovering from the consequences of long-term exposure. These are some of the health risks and challenges facing an alcoholic unless you intervene and get them to alcohol rehab quickly.

What could happen if they don’t go to rehab?

Job loss, legal problems, loss of marriage, family, or health, unfortunately, even death. Early action could save their life.

For answers to more questions, contact Narconon.

Key Points When Choosing a Rehab

Choosing the right questions matters. Ask:

1. Is the program short-term or long-term?
   Longer programs (three or more months) help build lasting sober living skills, as recommended by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
   
   
2. Does the program rely on medications?
   Many rehab programs prescribe drugs like acamprosate, naltrexone, or silufiram during rehab and long after. Narconon offers a drug-free approach, avoiding medication side effects or further dependence.
   
   
3. How does the program address cravings?
   The Narconon rehab program includes a step that helps relieve cravings by flushing out residual toxins from past alcohol use.
   
   
4. Is nutritional support provided?
   A person addicted to alcohol is very often in poor condition when they arrive at rehab. Generous nutritional support helps them feel better physically and mentally.
   
   
5. Does the program teach sober living skills?
   Long-term alcohol addiction tends to damage or destroy life skills. The Narconon program teaches the most essential life skills needed for lasting sobriety.
   
   
6. Does the program teach that a person is “powerless”?
   At Narconon, the program helps each person that they have the power to overcome addiction and build a sober life. This has been the approach of the Narconon program for its entire six decades of saving lives.

How Narconon Guides Individuals to Sobriety

The Narconon program helps individuals repair the damage caused by alcohol and addresses the underlying personal issues that led them to drink. It is a drug-free program. Tens of thousands of graduates have completed it successfully and built sober lives.

Residential, Long-Term Rehab

A long-term, residential program gives a person their best chance of success. Alcohol is out of reach. They have undisturbed time to focus on themselves and their sober future.

Medical Evaluation

Before starting this withdrawal step, each participant will receive a thorough medical evaluation. When the physician determines that it is necessary, the person will be referred to a medically supervised detox as a prerequisite to this program. A medical detox protects the person’s health from any severe withdrawal symptoms that can be physically damaging or even life-threatening. This is completed at a separate medical detoxification facility, after which they will come to Narconon to undergo full rehabilitation.

A Drug-Free Withdrawal

On arrival at a Narconon center, each person receives nutritional supplementation that helps calm both the body and the mind. Calming procedures known as Assists are administered by specially trained staff, making this withdrawal, as many graduates of the program have commented, “one of the most tolerable withdrawals.” Special orientation processes help bring the person out of the fog of the past and into a brighter, more positive beginning to recovery.

Reducing Cravings

Residual toxins can trigger cravings and affect mood. The New Life Detoxification, an innovative process combining sauna sessions, nutrition, and exercise, helps to flush these toxins out and assists in reducing or eliminating cravings and the darkness of addiction.

Restoring Life’s Fresh Perceptions

A unique series of procedures called Objectives aids each person in overcoming the trauma and pain of the past. As the present is perceived more clearly, self-control and rational thinking improve.

Rebuilding Life Skills

On the Narconon program, this is a three-step process:

• Overcoming Ups & Downs in Life: Teaches how to choose safe associates and reject those who encourage their alcohol use. This skill helps protect each person’s stability.

• Personal Values: The way to restore integrity and self-respect is learned. This improvement is often accompanied by relief from past guilt and shame.

• Changing Conditions in Life: Simple, workable tools for rebuilding relationships and resolving problems are taught and put into practice.

What is Narconon’s Background?

The Narconon program is based on the research and writings of L. Ron Hubbard, the author and humanitarian who also founded the Scientology religion. However, the Narconon program is not religious or faith-based, and a person of any faith (or none) can undergo the program.

Mr. Hubbard’s developments provide an exact series of steps that not only flushes out toxins but also teaches a person how to recover from the mental and emotional damage of addiction and build new sober life skills.

Because of the program’s unique drug-free approach, no drugs are given during the Narconon rehab program. Lessons in life skills show person how to build a new, sober life once they go home. Addiction does not have to last a lifetime. Lasting recovery is possible at a Narconon drug rehab.

Contact Narconon Today to Learn More

Learn more about how Narconon helps individuals rebuild their lives through drug-free rehabilitation and life skills training. Don’t wait—call today.

Sources:

• “National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2024.” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2025. SAMHSA

• “Alcohol Use Disorder.” Psychiatry.org, 2024. psychiatry.org

• “Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, undated. NIAAA

• “Alcohol withdrawal.” MedlinePlus, 2025. MedlinePlus

• “Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome.” National Library of Medicine, 2024. NLM

• “Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment.” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2012. SAMHSA