April is National Alcohol Awareness Month, and a good time to initiate a conversation with a loved one or family member who may suffer from a possible alcohol use disorder. It may be difficult and even daunting to discuss your concerns with that individual, and experts say that the conversation should be broached with tact and empathy and without judgment or accusation.

National Alcohol Awareness Month is sponsored by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) to educate Americans on the number one health problem: alcohol dependence. Alcohol abuse claims the lives of more than 90,000 people every year. This education campaign focuses on raising awareness about alcohol abuse and dependency before it is fatal.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people sought relief from mental illness, the confines of their own homes, and stress from financial issues, job loss and more,” says Sarah O’Brien, an addiction specialist at Ark Behavioral Health in Massachusetts. “Alcohol provided relief for thousands of Americans, as conversations around drinking made their way into mainstream media, virtual office happy hours, and social media posts.”

National surveys found that excessive drinking among adults increased 21% during the pandemic. As a result, by the year 2040, there are estimated to be 8,000 more deaths from alcohol-related liver disease, 18,700 cases of liver failure, and 1,000 cases of liver cancer, O’Brien tells Newsmax.

Your loved one may have a problem with alcohol if they are drinking excessively, drinking most days during the week, or binge drinking frequently. Other signs may be lying or covering up certain behaviors, wanting to stop drinking but being unable to do so, or constantly thinking about their next drink, says O’Brien.  

Fans of the Sex and the City reboot called And Just Like That will recognize these signs in Miranda, the savvy lawyer who started drinking during the pandemic and is now caught in the quagmire of alcoholism.

People who are ready to overcome a problem with alcohol can turn to friends, family members, and other loved ones for support.

“Often, the best place to start is a detox center or addiction recovery program where your loved one can safely detox from alcohol and learn how to cope with life without alcohol,” says O’Brien. “There are many free and low-cost options through the Salvation Army, Medicaid programs, and local resources such as Alcoholics Anonymous.”

After a rehab program, your loved one can look into sober living homes, counseling programs, and recovery groups such as SMART Recovery and Women for Sobriety.

To initiate a conversation, use National Alcohol Awareness Month to open the door and cite neutral, objective information about alcoholism. This is a way to gently raise awareness for an individual who may not realize he or she has a drinking problem or hasn’t been ready to confront the issue, says O’Brien.

“When broaching the subject of alcoholism with someone who may have a drinking problem, motivating their interest in recovery with positive encouragement can make a big difference,” she says. “People who are in the early stages of alcohol addiction may experience shame and embarrassment about their increasing dependence on alcohol, and how others notice the signs.”

Show your support and love. Letting them know they have support is integral to recovery, says O’Brien.

“The antidote to addiction is connection, and people need to feel connected to their family and loved ones more than ever when overcoming and recovering from an alcohol use disorder,” notes the expert.