hmmmmmmmmmm.. what I would do, is ask them when they plan to quit as they obviously cannot keep drinking as they are forever. Ask them this when they are sober (if).
A casual non judgemental non prejudiced dry report on their profile when they are drunk, with the sandwich of two good things for every bad thing might educate them. Most alkies have not been given the disinterested but friendly mirror of their behaviour. They have no idea. They are truly deluded as to their state when intoxicated. Not the slightest sharp or reproachful word is needed to do this. Just dry, non angry, non harping analysis. Leave them to their own conclusions. Destroy all their drink at every opportunity. Do not be passive aggressive, or controlling but remove from them the opportunity to drink in a casual, matter of fact way. When they begin, you can say something like a cheery, "Well, you are going to drink and be degraded and stupidly self destructive, so I am going out. I would wish you fun and health but that would be a faint hope. See yah!" Keep all emotion and reproach out of your voice. Don't be sarcastic or attack. Do not repeat any themes or wound. Be supportive. Ask searching questions. At say 8 in the morning, without emotion or any personal interest, ask them if they feel like an early start on the day's health destruction. The whole success of this approach depends on the degree of detachment, and non-confrontation and non-aggression. Don't be lovie dovie either. Alkies don't want that. Their castle walls cannot be stormed that way. It must be totally friendly, helpful and dispassionate, but accurate and searchingly truthful. Never scold, harp, attack, judge, or teach. Keep your voice, even, emotionless, analytical and frank. After all, what have you achieved so far with all other avenues? Nothing. So keep it light. But keep the light on it.
Alcoholics are manic depressives. All. They have a gene in them that tends to depression. Some are dry one might say. In other words, they have no taste for booze in the slightest. Some take drugs. All downward spiral emotionally, especially late in life or middle aged. They all go thru Pinky and the Brain episodes of world building and destruction of dreams that suit cocaine and alcohol abuse to a T. The alcoholic gene is now called the Ernest Hemingway gene in honour of that great exemplar of passion and despair. You might try that as a compliment in your two goods and one bad sandwich when you extol and excoriate their dangerous and destructive life. But give no awards. This is death in a bottle. You may as a mini-judgement paint small skull and cross bones on every empty and insist on leaving them around the house in ever increasing boxes piled on boxes. You can tell them they own the full ones, but your reserve the right to the empties. Tell them the last empty you will have is their body and you will leave in the the same place and burn the house down around them all. Being casual when you say that will take some practice. Of course pouring out all the alcohol they buy will not work, but it will give you some satisfaction. You have to have some fun at this. You may announce that you are doing this. Preserve detachment assiduously when practicing outrageous activities such as this. Don't ask permission. Just say, "I am pouring all your booze down the toilet now, do you want to help? Say, what do you want for lunch? I would go to the social club with you today but you are a disgusting mess and I can't stand the embarrassment. Do you want lettuce and tomato?".
You can also play head games with them. Preferable when they are sober by hiding important things on them, like eyeglasses. When the ask for them, you tell them that you hid them for a "joke". When they ask why, you say that you are imitating them as they are hiding their better self behind a degraded ghost of a person. Try not to be too cute. The important thing is to hold up a mirror to them without being preachy. It is very tough and takes much deftness of manner. The slightest hauteur, emotion, or involvement, scolding, etc.. and it will degrade to confronting, angry reaction. You have to use such a sharp scalpel such that the patient, while wounded does not even know they were cut.
It is behaviourist a la Skinner. It may work.
Two things that help the alcoholic immensely and may act as intervention is the use of 3-5 grams of L-glutamine a day, and when they are drunk, 1.5 grams of n-acetyl cysteine. The l-glutamine will reduce the craving for the alchohol and the n-acetyl cysteine will remove the hangover and reduce the damage from the circulating poisons in their blood the following day. Both are over the counter amino acids.
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