help me help him

[snakewhisperer28]

ok so my friend just told me his uncle is an alcholic and it really bothers him... he says he is very close to him and it seems to be a sensitive subject for him. Im really glad he trusts me enough to confide in me, but idk any alcholics and i dont have much advice on the subject. I just dont wanna mess up and say something wrong. what should i tell him...should i say anything? should i just let him vent to me? im kinda at a loss here

[Ngikhona]

If you're heart's in the right place wanting to help him, you're really not going to say anything that's wrong or bad. User your common sense to help yourself help him and you don't go wrong. You could try and do some research on alcoholism if you wanted--there are tons of resources online for learning about it. You could also show your friend some of these sites so that he can look at them. You don't have to know or be close to an alcoholic yourself to give advice to someone about it. A lot of times what people most want is just someone who will listen to them and give them someone to talk to. The best thing you can do for him is let him vent to you and talk to you and try to give him some resources he can use so that maybe he can help himself and his uncle. At the same time, you're no super hero or professional, so don't feel bad if things don't go perfectly. Alcoholism is an extremely tough addiction to learn to cope with.

[Alyak]

i agree with aesthetic, that giving advice comes naturally, just tell him what you would want to be told. Comfort him, that sort of thing is hard to deal with, trust me. Also let him vent, it helps, gl