Watching someone ruin their lives with drugs or alcohol can make you feel desperate to do whatever it takes to help them get their life back. Drugs have a sad way of taking over a person’s thoughts and making it hard for them to see what they need to feel better. As the loved one of someone who has an addiction, you might be wondering if rehab works if someone isn’t willing to go. You may have even explored the idea of picking them up and leaving them at a rehab center so that they have to get help. While rehab does work better if someone is willing to participate, it can still be beneficial for someone who goes despite thinking that they are fine. Addiction treatment works differently for everyone, but a quality program knows how to help someone who isn’t fully willing to admit that they have a problem yet.
Denial often accompanies addiction, and some people might feel like they haven’t got a problem at all. Others may know that they have an addiction, but they haven’t had enough negative consequences happen to make them want to change their ways. Figuring out how to help your loved one see the benefits of going to rehab can help them to get more out of the program. As you proceed, keep in mind that some people need multiple attempts to get sober. If your loved one didn’t thrive in a rehab program before, then they may need a different treatment center. Sobriety is possible for everyone, and being persistent can help them find a treatment that finally sticks.
Can You Make Someone Go to Rehab?
Sure, you don’t want to have to drag someone kicking and screaming into a rehab program, but there are ways for someone to go to one when they aren’t fully willing. For example, many court systems use mandated drug and alcohol treatment as an option to address substance abuse-related charges. Going to a treatment program is often preferable for people who don’t want to go to jail. When possible, treating addiction is better than punishing someone who is unable to control their behavior.
Florida also has a few other options in place such as the Marchman Act that allows close family members to appeal to the court to have someone be mandated to seek help for their addiction. This option works only for certain cases, and you’ll need to be able to prove that your loved one is a danger to themselves or others due to their addiction. It is also possible to somewhat force someone to go to rehab by making it clear that you won’t stand by their behavior anymore. Although it can sometimes backfire, telling someone that they can’t live with you while they use drugs or that you’ll need to end your relationship could motivate them to get help when they still don’t fully believe that they have a problem.
How Does Rehab Change People’s Minds About Drugs and Alcohol?
If you can get an unwilling person to at least commit to spending a few days in treatment, they’ll often begin to change their minds. The first few days of addiction treatment are sometimes difficult for people since it often involves going through withdrawal. For someone who is in denial, feeling those symptoms could be an eye-opening experience that makes it clear that they have crossed the line from recreational use of drugs or alcohol to a full-blown addiction.
Other people may still be unconvinced that they need help, but they soon change their mind once it is no longer clouded by drugs. Sometime around the first few days after they enter the program, many people begin to get curious about how they can start to feel better. Participating in counseling helps them to start seeing how they can change their life by ending their addiction.
How Do You Convince Someone to Get Addiction Treatment?
Since rehab does work best when someone wants to participate, you’ll want to try to talk them into going before you start seeking ways to make them go. You can start planning an intervention by taking these actions.
- Decide who to involve in the intervention and invite them.
- Pick a private and quiet place to hold the intervention.
- Define boundaries and consequences for not seeking treatment.
- Practice what each person will say.
- Choose a treatment program to suggest if you receive a positive response.
- Act quickly in response to your loved one’s decision.
Do you need help getting someone into treatment? We have solutions for every situation. Give us a call today at 855-936-4435.
