Although it's discouraging to see a person return to drinking, such relapses are not necessarily repeated. They often serve as a valuable lesson and frequently help a person to accept that abstinence is necessary because of their powerlessness over alcohol. Continued Support Continued support is essential and may be easy to provide if the older person is willing to enter a treatment program. You can attend group and family meetings and enjoy your new life as you all work together. But if the person strongly denies a problem exists and resists seeking help or returns to previous drinking patterns, do not give up and do not ignore the problem.
Support still is important.
Continue to present facts in a caring, concerned way. Tell the person how you think the situation is affecting them and how it affects you. Let the person weigh the evidence. For example, aspirin in some people causes bleeding in the stomach and intestines. Alcohol also irritates the stomach and, when combined with aspirin, may increase the risk of bleeding.