How Can I Convince Someone To Go To Rehab
Do you know someone who has an addiction? You obviously care about your loved one, so you will want to see them get better. But what can you do if your loved one refuses to accept the fact that they have a problem with addiction?
When you’re in this situation, it can be extremely upsetting and frustrating. You may fear for their safety and their health. However, you can’t just drag them into rehab against their will. In order for someone to go through a treatment programme, they must really want it. It takes commitment and motivation to recover.
As their loved one, you need to recognise that getting them the help they need is less about shouting at them and reprimanding them and more about persuading them to come to the decision to get help for themselves.
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Helping Someone You Love Take That First Step Towards Recovery
So how exactly do you go about convincing someone you love to commit to a recovery programme? Below is a list of approaches that you can take to try to persuade someone to admit they have a problem with addiction and to seek treatment for themselves.
Avoid Criticism
It’s very common for people to be frustrated, angry, or upset when one of their loved ones is refusing to admit they have a problem with addiction. However, you need to set your feelings to the side for a moment.
If you point a finger or get irate and raise your voice, this will push your loved one further and further away. Deep down inside, they will know that they have an addiction problem but addicts often live in denial. This is very common.
It’s up to you to try to bring this knowledge to the surface. You can do this through genuine understanding and trust. Ask them questions and listen to what they have to say. I’s important to truly understand their obstacles and fears.
Protect Yourself
It’s important to remember that your loved on isn’t the only one suffering as you are also in danger. Many people who are close to an addict will find themselves monitoring the addict’s behaviour and activities around the clock. It’s important to set some boundaries for yourself.
Always remember to look after yourself and set time aside to regroup and re-energise yourself. You need to help yourself first and maintain your own physical and mental health before you can attempt to help someone else.
Always Be Firm But Fair
If you are in a situation where you are very close to an addict or if you live with the addict, it’s important to set some ground rules. You will both be aware that they have an addiction. With this in mind, it’s important that you make it very clear to them that you don’t support their addiction in any way.
There are some things you could do to prove how much you are against the habit. For example, you may choose to remove access to finances so that they can’t spend that money on feeding their addiction. You should also limit any opportunities for your loved one to sneak away and consume substances.
When you put these types of restrictions in place, this may be enough to motivate the addict into thinking about quitting their addiction.
Explain How You Feel
In some cases, the addict may have no clue how much their addiction has affected the people around them. They will often become so fixated on where their next drink is coming from that they don’t take a moment to step back and realise how much they may be hurting the people around them.
Never be afraid or shy away from sharing your feelings. When an addict hears how much their addiction is affecting the people around them, this is often a huge eye-opener.
Use ‘I’ Statements
Whenever you express your feelings and emotions to your loved one, you sure always make sure you don’t point any fingers towards them. Addicts already have to suffer with a great deal of shame and guilt, so if you point fingers at them, you may risk them completely shutting down.
Instead of placing the blame on them and telling them what they’ve done to hurt you, turn this back around on you. When you make statements, say things like “I feel” instead of saying things like “you”. If you keep the conversation focused on your feelings rather than the things they’ve done, they may even be open to having a real conversation with you about their drinking problem.
Cut All Ties
This may sound quite brutal but it can be very effective. If you find that you simply can’t get through to the person, one of the best things you can do is just completely separate yourself from them. Only do this in cases where you are not jeopardising their safety.
Cease all contact with them and suspend any interactions. Try to get as many of their loved ones to do this as you can. Ensure that they understand that your intentions are coming from a place of love. The aim of this is to get them to recognise that this is a consequence of their continued substance abuse.
Have an Intervention
This may sound cliché but interventions can be very effective. It allows your loved one to listen and understand how their addiction is affecting the people around them. The only problem with creating your own intervention is that the effectiveness will be down to the amount of effort that you put into it.
When holding an intervention, you must ensure that every single aspect of it is fully prepared. You will need to rehearse and coach the participants on the format of the meeting so that everyone knows what to say and when. You can get help from a professional interventionist if needed.
When done in the right way, an intervention is a very effective method of nudging your loved one in the right direction towards recovery.
Contact us today for more information about our family referral services.