Talking to a friend about their drinking can be very difficult. You may worry about upsetting them, damaging the friendship, or pushing them away entirely. Often you are also not in the strongest position as a friend – you may not have enough contact to influence as much as you would like, or you may not be able galvanise people into acting together. In this episode, John and Lou discuss how to approach these conversations carefully and constructively. They talk about setting boundaries, explaining how someone’s drinking affects others, recognising when drinking changes a person’s behaviour, and why support and encouragement are effective rather than shaming a person. Lou and John explore why it can help to speak with other friends or family members first, the importance of avoiding confrontation and choosing the right moment, and how suggesting alternatives to alcohol-centred socialising can make a difference. For 1-2-1 counselling with John visit: https://bottled-up.com/1-to-1/Please be very clear that, at Bottled Up we strongly advise people not to remain in violent or abusive relationships. We understand fully that in many cases circumstances can become untenable. We discuss this fully in our Podcast "Should I Stay or Should I Go".For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.comDr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Before this, for many years, John had an addiction to alcohol. He has been sober for over 40 years.Lou Lewis is a professional counsellor and the co-founder of Bottled Up with John. Lou's first husband had an addiction to alcohol for many years, from that experience and her counselling Lou has a deep understanding of the difficulties of living with problem drinkers.John and Lou are married and live in England. They founded Bottled Up in the hope that it would help change your life.The Bottled Up program is innovative and advocates that the partners of alcoholics can introduce changes to their lives, which will empower them and influence their drinkers to change. If you live with an alcoholic partner, or are looking for help to quit drinking, then Bottled Up is for you.For more help and advice visit www.bottled-up.comFor advertising and sponsorship opportunities email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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