Does your son have a drinking problem?

When a family member or other loved one has an issue with alcohol use or substance abuse, convincing them to get help can seem nearly impossible. Alcohol dependence is a difficult condition to overcome.

If you are a father or mother, and it is your own son who is suffering from alcohol use disorder, all you want is to find a way to get them to drink less or stop altogether. Unfortunately, confronting alcohol withdrawal is not an easy task.

Your first instinct may be to recommend a support group, such as Alcoholics Anonymous. AA is a support program for alcoholics, and Al-Anon is a support program for family members of alcoholics.

While AA is excellent for peer support for people suffering from alcoholism, the first step to getting sober requires medical support.

Your alcoholic child may be at risk for severe withdrawal symptoms if they quit cold turkey. A treatment facility, or medically supervised home detox program can help to reduce the risks of seizures or delirium tremens.

Unfortunately, over time alcohol misuse and heavy alcohol consumption leads to a physical dependence. Alcohol addiction treatment must include both therapies to prevent relapse, and also treatment for physical dependence on alcohol.

Does every alcoholic child have an alcoholic parent?

Not every person with a substance use or alcohol abuse issue has a parent or family member who also has a history of a substance misuse condition. Still, it is important to look at family history, because alcohol use disorder is known to run in families.

There is also evidence that young adults learn their drinking habits from their parents. If regular drinking is common in the household, then children learn that alcohol consumption is acceptable.

Additionally, people who enjoy drinking tend to stick together. It is not uncommon for a heavy drinker to have an alcoholic husband or alcoholic wife.

Many addiction treatment centers offer family therapy as a component of mental health care. Unraveling family issues and getting the family onboard for support is important when helping a loved one to overcome an alcohol problem.

Family support, if available, makes recovery a much smoother process. Your alcoholic son has a much better chance of going from active addiction into long-term addiction recovery with your help and loving support.

What treatment options exist for the parent of an alcoholic son to offer?

Alcohol rehab and alcohol detox are the traditional institutions that facilitate sobriety. An alcoholic is physically dependent on alcohol, and they are nutrient depleted.

Not every drug problem involves physical dependence. For example, methamphetamine addiction and cocaine addiction are purely psychological without a physical dependence component.

Alcohol dependence and vitamin depletion make quitting alcohol dangerous. An alcohol rehab can safely detox their patients off of alcohol, using medications and supervision.

Concierge home detox programs are also available, where the patient may detox in the privacy and comfort of their own home. They are still monitored by a doctor and nurse for a safe, restful cleansing experience.

What other options are available for alcohol treatment?

In addition to detox programs, there is also the option for medication-assisted treatment with naltrexone pills or the Vivitrol monthly shot, which is a long-acting naltrexone injection.

Naltrexone can help people who still drink to taper gradually off of alcohol. The naltrexone shot helps recovering alcoholics to avoid relapses and alcohol binges.

Additionally, there is the KARE protocol. KARE stands for Ketamine for reduction of Alcoholic Relapse.

Ketamine infusions combined with ketamine-assisted psychotherapy have been proven to reduce the rate of relapses. Ketamine-assisted therapy is used now for a variety of addictions, mental health conditions, and pain syndromes.

For more information on solutions for alcohol addiction and dependence, please contact us using this website’s contact page. We look forward to helping you to help your alcoholic son to stop drinking and start a new life in recovery from alcohol addiction.