How to help a friend who won't talk about it?
Hello everyone. I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask. I have a friend who has admitted to being addicted to alcohol. The problem is, he won't talk about it anymore and won't get help. Is there anything I can do to encourage him? I have told him about 7 cups but it seems like he didn't have a positive experience with listeners. I don't know if he talked about the alcohol or something else, but I don't think he's using the site anymore. If he is, I'm not aware of it.
From what he told me, he drinks because it distracts him from thinking too much.
I just want to know how I can help? It breaks my heart knowing that he could be suffering alone right now.
Is there any way I can encourage him to talk about it or to seek help?
Hi Lily!
This is a good place to ask 
But I am not an expert. Other people who see this might tell you wiser things than me.
From what you've said, it seems to me your friend uses alcohol for a definite purpose—to distract him from thoughts he doesn't want to have. So for him alcohol is not the problem. Alcohol is the solution to his problem. It must seem to him that what you want to do is take away the solution and leave him with the problem again. He might fear ending up with a solution even more harmful than alcohol.
What I've written there is pretty much just guesswork, but if you think it makes any sense at all then you might want to consider how you can help your friend to solve his problem in a better way, a way that makes alcohol unnecessary. That will not be an easy thing to do, even for such a caring friend as you, but if he can just glimpse the possibility of a different way to deal with his thoughts then he might agree to professional help.
It is so, so disappointing to read the he tried 7 Cups but didn't have a positive experience with listeners. I read in your profile about spreading love and joy in spite of your own troubles, and it really makes me hopeful that you can help your friend.
If you would like to chat about these things, do feel free to message me.
@WaterfallLily
@RarelyCharlie What you're saying makes so much! Thank you for your reply. :) Perhaps I should try to provide other methods of distraction. I'm thinking of inviting him to do mindfulness exercises with me and talk about that, almost like the mindfulness discussions we have in the group chat on 7 cups. I'll think of more things that could help. Thanks again! 
So much sense** haha oops! I wish I could edit my posts to fix typos 