When someone you love needs addiction treatment from a rehab for drug addicts, it’s hard to know what to do. By the time you see your loved one’s need for addiction treatment, it’s likely that addiction has already destroyed the person he or she was. You know that the only way to save your loved one, your family and even yourself is to get that person treatment.
Even though your loved one might resist the idea of going into an inpatient rehab at first, you should know that treatment can still be effective even if the addict was initially coerced into seeking help. Your loved one can succeed at treatment even if you take steps to force him or her into treatment against his or her objections.
Nevertheless, many friends and loved ones of drug addicts make mistakes when trying to get their loved one into rehab. If you know what these mistakes are, you can avoid them, and get your loved one the help he or she needs much sooner.
1) Not Educating Yourself About Addiction
Despite the fact that your loved one needs to enter a rehab for drug addicts, you – and the rest of your circle – may be suffering from some common misconceptions about addiction. Before you talk to your loved one about his or her problem, research treatment facilities or plan an intervention, your first step should be to educate yourself about the nature of addiction – and its effects on the friends and family members of addicts as well as the addicts themselves.
The best way to learn about addiction is to begin attending local support groups for the relatives and friends of addicts. Al-Anon is one such group. There, you can learn from the experiences of others who have been through the same situation. Other members can point you towards helpful books and other resources, and share with you their own insights about getting someone into a rehab for drug addicts.
2) Holding an Impromptu Intervention
An intervention is a valuable and important way to convince a loved one of the need to go to a rehab for drug addicts. However, it’s most effective if it’s carefully planned and orchestrated, usually with the help of a professional interventionist. An intervention that is not carefully planned is unlikely to have the desired effect.
To be effective, an intervention must be attended by all of the friends and relatives who are affected by, or concerned about, the addict’s drug use. During the intervention, each person must take the opportunity to express their concerns and explain to the addict how his or her drug use has affected them. You should also have a plan in place to get your loved one into a rehab for drug addicts immediately following the intervention, or be prepared to enact consequences – such as withdrawing financial support – if your loved one refuses to get help.
3) Being Judgmental About Rehab for Drug Addicts
It’s hard not to be judgmental when someone you love continues to abuse drugs or alcohol even as his or her life falls apart because of it. But your loved one has already experienced enough judgment, and heaping more judgment upon his or her head will only drive him or her away. Instead of passing judgment or falling back on philosophical or religious arguments, stick to painting a picture of how your loved one’s addiction hurts him or her, you, and others the addict loves.
4) Making Idle Threats
If you threaten consequences for your loved one if he or she doesn’t get help at a rehab for drug addicts, you have to be prepared to follow through with those consequences. If you make empty threats, the addict will think you’re not serious about getting him or her into addiction treatment. You’ll only encourage your loved one to keep using.
5) Not Supporting Your Loved One’s Recovery
Once you do get your loved one into an addiction treatment facility, it’s important to follow the advice of the treatment specialists. Many people think they know better than their doctors what’s good for them; don’t be one of those people. Assuming you choose a reputable facility, the treatment specialists know what’s best for your loved one.
This also means you should refuse any practical or emotional support that could help the addict stop treatment or backslide after leaving treatment. If your loved one decides to leave the rehab for drug addicts before his or her program ends, don’t pick him or her up or wire any money for travel expenses. Instead, encourage him or her to remain in treatment – and remind your loved one of the consequences you established at the intervention.
If you have a loved one who needs drug treatment, our counselors can help.
Call us today at 888-699-5679 to learn more about our programs.