4 Things You Must Do If Your Loved One Refuses To Get Drug Rehabilitation

Drug Rehabilitation for Your Loved One

You can see that your loved one needs help. You can see their life falling into chaos as the drug addiction takes over. You are watching them as they continue to lose important things in their life like family, friends, home, and job. You have begged them to seek help at an addiction recovery center, but they are convinced that there is nothing wrong. You can’t force them into rehab, unlike what you see on television. In some states, involuntary drug rehab is illegal, and a person or medical professional could face charges if they try to force someone into a drug rehabilitation center. You are frustrated because you can see what is happening, and you fear what will happen next. What can you do? There are four things that you must do when this situation happens, regardless of how hard each step may seem. Things You Must Do When Your Loved One Refuses Drug Rehab or SMART recovery treatment.

1 — Stop Being An Enabler

It doesn’t matter if your loved one is addicted to alcohol, drugs, or prescription narcotics like opioids. You have to stop doing things that allow your loved ones to pursue their addiction. Are you loaning them money to cover their bills or to buy groceries? Stop. They need to use their money for these things instead of buying drugs. Are you covering for their addiction by telling lies or doing their work? Stop. Everyone must be responsible for themselves. When you stop enabling the addiction, your loved one has to take a closer look at how their addiction is actually impacting their life.

2 — Allow Consequences To Happen

This is very hard to do, especially when you love and care for someone. Every action has consequences, and you have to stop protecting them from the consequences of addiction. The consequences may be something as small as taking away a teenager’s cell phone privileges if they come home high, to having to go to court over visitation rights because you do not want your child to be in the care of the other parent while they are under the influence of drugs. It is hard not to protect our loved ones from the consequences of their actions. In fact, as a whole, people are “programmed” to protect their loved ones by helping them avoid bad consequences. However, when it comes to addiction, you have to set these emotions aside and stand firm.

3 — Prepare For The Backlash

Addiction is a very emotional disorder. A person suffering from an addiction will be very emotional about being able to get the drug and about having to face the consequences of their actions. You must be prepared for the onslaught of emotions when you first stop enabling them and making your loved one face the consequences. They will first start with the promises – “I promise I’m not using” I promise I will seek help if I do it again” I promise to never do it again if you help me one last time.” All these promises are empty words from a person desperately trying to feed their addiction. Next, you will get the anger- “I will never speak to you again if you don’t help.” Some people may even get loud and violent. Stand your ground; this is why it is called tough love. If you give in, they will know that they will always get their way if they push hard enough. Addiction corrupts how people think.

4 — Get Some Help For Yourself

Watching what addiction is doing to your loved one is very hard. It will take an emotional and physical toll on your health. You are encouraged to speak with someone or join a support group to help you get through this tough time. There are other family members and friends facing the same problems you are with your loved one. Substance abuse counselors are not just trained to help someone with an addiction; they are also available counseling to the family and friends who are suffering from their loved one’s addiction. If you can find the support you need, it will make dealing with this problem much easier.

One Last Thought

Addiction is very personal, but it is very public as well. A person may believe that their addiction is only affecting them, but this is not true. Addiction hurts everyone close to the addict. If you are worried about a loved one who needs to go into drug rehab but will not go, use these steps to help you stand your ground. You must be strict with your loved ones to help them finally choose to seek professional help for their addiction.