Helping an Alcoholic

If you want to know the secret to helping an alcoholic then you should go to a support group such as an Al-Anon meeting.  The people there can help you and instruct you as to how to behave around the alcoholic in your life.  It can be tricky to know when we are helping them versus enabling them. 

When you are actually helping an alcoholic what is usually happening is that you are allowing them to feel their pain.  This sounds bad but in a way it is good because their pain is going to motivate them to change.  If you deny them their pain then they will never quit drinking.