Drug Rehab Treatment – Do’s and Don’ts

The person you love isn’t here anymore. Whether your son is a hollow-eyed shadow of the boy you raised or your spouse’s vodka habit is endangering the children, you know that alcohol or drug rehab treatment is the only way to save him or her.

But can you get them into treatment even if they haven’t been willing to take the step themselves?

A common myth about addiction is that a person must willingly enter treatment for it to be effective. The fact is that many addicts choose the path to recovery because family and friends recognized the problem and took the necessary steps to get them into rehab.

That doesn’t mean it will be easy. It can be downright challenging to convince someone you love that they need addiction treatment. But this is about your loved one’s life. Helping them get the treatment they deserve may be the only chance they have to overcome their addiction.

Following are some do’s and don’ts for getting your loved one into drug rehab treatment:

Do educate yourself. Start by learning more about addiction. One way to do that is by attending meetings for local addiction support groups, like Al-Anon. Members may be able to provide guidance for finding nearby addiction resources, but, more importantly, they’ll be able to share their own experiences with you. Also, these connections will help nurture your own emotional well-being because they will help you see that you are not alone in this fight.

Do an intervention. When it comes to how to get someone into alcohol or drug rehab treatment, an intervention is often one of the most effective tools. An intervention is a meeting in which concerned family members and / or friends show the addict how the problem has affected his or her life-and the lives of those around them. It doesn’t physically force them into rehab, but it does give the addict a real-world view of what happens each time they drink excessively or get high on drugs.

Don’t go in without a plan. In the drama of addiction, it can be tempting to hold an impromptu intervention. And even though it’s well-intentioned, the lack of planning can sabotage the effort. An effective intervention requires everything from inviting concerned family and friends to participate to providing transportation directly to a drug rehab treatment facility. You’ll also need to outline the consequences if your loved one refuses help. For example, you might choose to withdraw all financial support. Avoid the urge to hold the intervention until you have all the pieces in place-it will give you a much better chance of getting the addict into alcohol or drug rehab treatment.