AHS Views

Surveys conducted by substance abuse agencies generally show that of the 20 million or so people who need addiction help for alcohol, about 90% don’t get it because they don’t consider they have a problem. But a new survey in England, which has much the same alcohol and drug problem as we have here in the U.S., showed that 40% of patients lie to their doctors about how much they drink. It made me wonder if those 40% are among those who also say they don’t have a problem.

The first step to successful drug or alcohol treatment is, of course, admitting that you have a problem. Don’t get me wrong, though – I don’t mean that they have to stand in front of a group of people an say “My name is  …, and I’m an alcoholic” – which is the standard Alcoholics Anonymous thing, and they definitely don’t have to do that forever. But they do have to at least admit it to themselves.

If you have someone in the family, or a friend, who you know needs help but won’t admit it, give intervention a try. An experienced interventionist can talk with the person and get them to admit they need help – sometimes with very little effort. Most already know they need help, but when they’ve spent years denying it to friends and family, it’s hard to change their story. With an interventionist, who they’ve just met and who can recognize an alcoholic from a mile away, it can’t be denied.

If you need help, or an interventionist, call Addiction Help Services. We’ll help you find a way to help your friend.