Helping people with AOD issues, sort of revolves around a stages of change theory.
For example if some one is not interested in change, one doesn't need to try to help them and gets on with their own life, interests and live the best one can in this sad circumstance. If someone on the grog is thinking about change, maybe because something has happened, then one can help them plan, contemplate, explore positive options pathways. Say something really happens and the person wants to implement their change plan, one can support action,by offering to drive them to rehab for instance. Help and social support to get back on ones feet is so useful and appreciated, when someone is trying hard to stay sober or sticking with it. Then there is the help one can give to support some one from relapsing. For example, instead of the person gets on here and talks to us, in this or other supportive environments instead of going to the bottle shop.
Counselors know about these stages and much of their work is to encourage the person to move up through the each of the stages from, not caring about themselves, through working hard to solve problems to leave their problems behind, and for many growth to a point where they no longer have a problem with grog and move to a place in life where relapse becomes a distant memory.
