My Daughter Is Showing Symptoms Of Alcoholism – Now What?

If your daughter is showing symptoms of alcoholism, it’s natural to want to help her transition back into a sober lifestyle. Figuring out the best way to start that recovery process can be tricky though. Normal parenting methods may not help. In some cases, those methods could even put a strain on your relationship and make it more difficult to help her in the future, no matter how good your intentions are.

There are ways you can help your daughter ease towards sobriety. An addiction treatment center can help, but only if your daughter chooses to enter treatment. You can help provide her with the foundation that’s necessary in order for her to make that choice. It may take time, but with persistence, understanding, and care, you can help your daughter move towards addiction recovery.

Learn More About Alcohol Addiction Than The Symptoms Of Alcoholism

Mother and daughter discussing her symptoms of alcoholism.

Knowing the symptoms of alcoholism will only help you determine if your daughter is struggling. While you can tell her what symptoms of alcoholism she’s showing, that list alone will likely not move her towards alcohol addiction recovery. It could actually make it easier for her to hide her drinking habits from you in the future, though the symptoms of alcoholism may not fully disappear.

Helping your daughter starts with understanding how alcoholism is affecting her personally. This goes deeper than the impact her drinking has on her relationships, career, or schooling.

Alcoholism is not a choice, it’s a disease. Even though drinking started voluntarily, continuous and abusive drinking habits can lead to alcohol dependency and, eventually, addiction. Once someone has developed an alcohol addiction, it’s incredibly difficult for them to stop drinking. By this point, their bodies have adjusted to the habitual drinking and have come to rely on it in order to feel normal, which is why those addicted to alcohol will compulsively continue drinking no matter what consequences arise.

Often, alcohol intake becomes habitual or abusive because the individual is using the substance in order to cope with stresses, certain life events, or just plain life as a whole. People who show symptoms of alcoholism are usually hiding their problems under their drinking habits. When someone stops drinking, they’re forced to confront whatever issues drove their repetitive habit, to begin with. Those issues, along with the body and mind change that occurs, can drive their continued alcohol intake.

Regardless of why your daughter started her habitual drinking, her struggle with alcoholism is eventually going to take a huge toll on her physical and mental health. Their deterioration combined with her alcohol dependency and personal issues is going to make it extremely difficult for her to stop drinking at all.

Offer Support Without Enabling Your Daughter’s Alcohol Use

Even if you see the symptoms of alcoholism, your daughter has to make the choice to enter treatment. Until she makes that choice, you have to be supportive, but firm, parental figure.

It’s best to be empathetic with your daughter after you’ve seen the symptoms of alcoholism. People who struggle with alcoholism often feel alone. Reminding her that you’re there for her, that you love her, and that you’re willing to support her through her troubles can help her understand that she isn’t alone. Those can be the stepping stones necessary to introduce the idea of addiction counseling and treatment.

Providing support doesn’t mean giving in to her desire to drink, though. In many cases, people showing symptoms of alcoholism will ask for money or resources in order to get the alcohol they feel they need. Giving her these things will only enable her drinking habits.

Not giving into your daughter’s demands for alcohol, or the resources needed to obtain it will likely cause conflict. If that happens, it’s important not to raise your voice but remain firm in your decision. Although it can seem like you’re doing damage to your relationship, it can actually help you open the conversation later on.

Find The Right Time To Talk To Your Daughter About The Symptoms Of Alcoholism And Addiction Recovery

Eventually, you will have to talk directly to your daughter about her alcoholism. It’s important that you find the right time for that conversation. The wrong timing could cause massive conflict and drive your daughter further away from the help that she needs.

Never talk with your daughter about her alcoholism after she’s been drinking. When she’s inebriated, a serious conversation about her alcohol intake is not going to connect. When she’s sober, she’s going to be in the right state of mind to understand your concerns and may be more willing to take addiction recovery to heart. Getting her in a sober state may be tough, so it may be best to time such a conversation just after she’s woken up or before she starts drinking.

Involving other loved ones in an intervention can also help you explain to your daughter how many people are affected by her drinking. Showing her how many people see the symptoms of alcoholism and are willing to support her through her recovery can help her understand that she really isn’t alone. Your intervention can include siblings, close friends, and even co-workers. Anyone who sees the impact of alcoholism on her life will be able to add some depth to the conversation.

Find An Addiction Recovery Center With Individualized, Whole Care Treatment That Will Cater To Your Daughter

If your daughter agrees to start addiction treatment, providing her with the correct care is important. You want her to enter a treatment center that will get to know her. A center that will get to the bottom of why her addiction started. A place that will provide her with the treatment model she needs in order to maintain her sobriety for years to come.

At Healing Springs Ranch, we specialize in providing individualized care to all of our patients. We take the time to understand each of our clients, what caused their addiction, and what motivates them in their recovery and in their lives. Then, we use that motivation and a variety of treatment options to create a one-of-a-kind recovery model that will help them learn, cope, and heal properly. That includes providing clients with whole care, individualized programs that will help them recover mentally, physically, and spiritually from their addiction.

When you see the symptoms of alcoholism in your daughter, you may lose hope. But there is always hope that your daughter can live a long, sober life. You don’t have to let your daughter struggle through her addiction. Call Healing Springs Ranch today at 866-656-8384. Talk with one of our compassionate addiction experts. They will explain our specific therapies and how they can help your daughter recover from alcoholism.

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