Make Me Go to Rehab

Most drug addicts cannot come to terms with the fact that they are actually addicted to drugs.
Family and friends must stop protecting and rescuing the drug addict from the consequences of his actions.
They vehemently deny their addiction and live in a state of total denial. They refuse any help offered to them, and usually become very angry with any person offering to help them. At times, it seems almost as if they are throwing out a gauntlet and daring the friend or family member “Make me go to rehab!” Sometimes, the only way to get the addict past this stage is through intervention.

Intervention is the process of making the drug addict look at himself hard enough so he realizes that he really does have a problem and he does need help to overcome it. The act of intervention does not criticize or judge the addict. Intervention is a tool used to influence the addict to undergo rehab treatment.

At this point, family and friends must stop protecting and rescuing the drug addict from the consequences of his actions. Bailing him out of jail, paying his bills, trying to take care of him—all of this must stop now.

It is best to consult with an intervention specialist, and have him conduct the intervention. Conducting an intervention is an extremely delicate process. Family and friends all have an essential part in the intervention, and should all go together to confront the addict. Everyone attending the intervention must be very careful with their words when talking to the addict. Friends and family should tell the user they are concerned about him and they love him.

The next step is to very calmly tell him you are worried about his drug addiction. List a few specific instances in which his drug abuse has caused problems for you. Do all this without being critical or judgmental. Tell him you will be supportive of him while he is in rehab.

Make it clear to him that you will no longer bail him out; he will have to suffer the consequences of his choices.

* Have a bed reserved for him, just in case he agrees to enter rehab.

If he refuses to go to rehab at this time, don’t give up, and don’t support or enable his behavior anymore. Actually at this time, he should be told that if he insists on continuing to hurt the family with his addiction, he needs to find a new place to stay, as all of the family loves him too much to watch him kill himself.

Author: National Addiction Resources

America's Best Treatment Directory