Substance abuse disorders impact about 20 million Americans over 12 years old. This figure doesn’t count the impact addiction has on families.
Families have to watch these situations unfold in real-time. Many times, they’re left feeling helpless.
Do you find yourself in a similar situation? You might be able to convince your loved one to go to rehab.
It’s not an easy path, but it just might help your loved one seek help for their addiction problem. Keep reading to find out how to convince a loved one to go to rehab.
1. Learn About Addiction
It’s hard to understand addiction unless you’ve been through it. Take the time to learn what happens when someone becomes addicted and the treatments available.
Also, understand that going to rehab isn’t a solution to everything. Recovery is a long road with setbacks and relapses.
2. Don’t Put Off the Conversation
You don’t want to delay the conversation because it’s uncomfortable. You might want to avoid the situation.
That’s the worst thing to do. In the meantime, your loved one is getting worse. It might be too late when you’re ready to have the conversation with them.
3. Stage an Intervention
An intervention is a conversation. It’s a chance for you to tell the person with addiction problems how their addiction hurts you.
You might be able to get them to go to rehab out of the conversation, but that’s not the primary goal. The goal of an intervention is to get someone with addiction issues to see how their behaviors impact their lives and their loved ones.
This is a very sensitive conversation to have, and it helps to have professional support. Visit sanalake.com for more resources about staging an intervention.
4. Set Boundaries
The cycle of addiction often continues because people enable those who are addicted. They rush by their sides to bail them out or take care of their messes.
This puts a strain on families. Those stepping in as caregivers build up resentment and anger because the behavior doesn’t change.
The addicted person has no incentive to change because they know someone will bail them out.
Setting strong boundaries is as much about self-care as it is about taking care of the addicted person.
In your conversation, mention specifically what you’re willing to do for that person and what you’re no longer going to do.
This is your chance to end enabling behavior and get your loved one the care they need.
Get Your Loved One to Go to Rehab
It’s not easy to watch a loved one suffer from addiction. As their behaviors get worse over time, they run out of friends, family, and options.
Don’t let their addiction problem get to that point. Follow the tips in this guide to get them to go to rehab. Be compassionate with yourself and with them.
Get professional help before you stage an intervention. You’ll get the assistance and support you need to handle your loved one’s addiction problem.
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