---
title: "How to Help Someone with Addiction: A Guide for Families"
heading: "How to Help Someone with Addiction"
url: https://drvohras.com/guides/how-to-help-someone-with-addiction
language: en-IN
author: "Dr Vohra's"
updated: 2026-10-21
license: "Page text: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)."
---

# How to Help Someone with Addiction

This is the markdown version of https://drvohras.com/guides/how-to-help-someone-with-addiction, a page of Dr Vohra's, a psychiatry and psychology clinic in New Delhi. It is information, not medical advice; the clinic's contact details are at the end.

You cannot make someone stop, but you can change what you do: stop covering for the use (calling in sick for them, paying the debts, hiding it from the family), say plainly what you see and what you want, offer a specific next step (a confidential consultation), and get support for yourself. Daily heavy drinkers should not stop suddenly without medical help, because alcohol withdrawal can cause seizures. Dr Vohra's treats addiction as an outpatient clinic and involves families from the first visit.

Dr Vohra's · Updated 21 October 2026

## How to raise it

Choose a sober, calm moment. Describe behaviour, not character: "you were drinking at 9 am on Tuesday" rather than "you are an alcoholic". Say what it does to you and the family. Ask what they want. Offer a concrete step: "I have the number of a clinic; will you talk to them this week?" Expect denial the first time; keep the door open rather than winning the argument.

## Enabling, and what to do instead

- Paying off debts or fines: stop; let consequences land
- Making excuses to employers or relatives: stop
- Giving money that is spent on the substance: give food or pay a bill directly instead
- Hiding bottles or policing: it becomes a game; focus on your own boundaries
- Threats you will not carry out: make only the ones you will

## When it is a medical emergency

Confusion, hallucinations, seizures or severe shaking after stopping alcohol; unresponsiveness after opioids; chest pain or seizures after stimulants. Call 112 or go to an emergency department.

## Getting them to treatment

Outpatient treatment is less frightening than rehab and is the right first step for most people: assessment, a safe withdrawal plan, anti-craving medication, and weekly therapy with family sessions. Offer to make the call and go with them. Dr Vohra's is at East Patel Nagar, New Delhi, with online follow-ups.

## Frequently asked questions

- **Should I force them into rehab?**: Involuntary admission is rarely the right first step and is legally restricted. Outpatient treatment with family support works for most people who are at least partly willing. Where there is immediate danger, emergency services come first.
- **Can I get help for myself?**: Yes. Family sessions at the clinic are for exactly this, and supporting someone with addiction is a reason in itself to see a psychologist.
- **How do I book at Dr Vohra's?**: Call or WhatsApp +91 99992 49223, email help@drvohras.com, or use the contact form. In person at 29/24, East Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110008, or online across India.
- **What if this is an emergency?**: Call Tele-MANAS 14416 or KIRAN 1800-599-0019 (24x7, free) or 112. Dr Vohra's is not an emergency service.

## Book a consultation

Call [+91 99992 49223](tel:+919999249223), email [help@drvohras.com](mailto:help@drvohras.com), or visit us at 29/24, East Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110008. Online consultations are available across India in English and Hindi.

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If you are in crisis or having thoughts of self-harm, call Tele-MANAS [14416](tel:14416), KIRAN [1800-599-0019](tel:18005990019) or Emergency services [112](tel:112). Tele-MANAS and KIRAN are 24x7 and free anywhere in India. Dr Vohra's is not a crisis or emergency service.