Severing Ties: Ways to Get Your Adult Children into Rehab
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is a treatable disease not a lack of willpower or morality. Knowing this does not make severing ties with an adult child who is an addict any easier. Many people subscribe to the tough love approach, which involves abandoning the child to their drug addicted fate.
Unfortunately, this is an approach that damages the relationship between parent and child or can put husband and wife against each other when a child is an addict. There are ways to help your adult children realize that they need treatment without using this popular method.
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The Intermediary Approach
This approach involves using an intermediary, possibly a sibling, to mediate between the givers (parents) and the taker (addict). This method can start with giving an addict an allowance doled out by the intermediary as long as the addict completes certain conditions.
One of these conditions should be some form of rehab program that suits the addict. By using an intermediary, the parents are not directly responsible for withholding the money and the addict does not get the allowance unless they complete certain conditions.
Intervention
Planning an intervention with the rest of the family or friends is often an effective way to get someone into rehab.
This is an extremely popular method for dealing with any addict. It involves getting the whole family together to help the addict see the need for rehab. Usually a therapist conducts the intervention. There are several types of interventions. A few of the popular types are:
- Classical – in this type the person is tricked into participating in the intervention where the family airs its grievances against the addict. Unfortunately, this is usually the least successful type of intervention. The family plans the intervention without the participation of the addict.
- Crisis – This takes place when the addict places themselves in danger. When this happens the addict is forced to participate in rehab due to the circumstances after being confronted by the family.
- Simple – a single family member talks to the addict and tries to convince them to enter rehab.
Unfortunately, interventions can help a person realize they need rehab but do not solve the actual problem unless the addict agrees.
Paying for Rehab Directly
Another method for getting an adult child into rehab is to offer to pay for it directly instead of giving the addict money. The money that would otherwise go to drug use will only go to pay the cost of treatment. In this method, the incentive to go to rehab is financial.
Motivational Incentives
Although this method is not necessarily recommended, it is rapidly gaining popularity because it does start an addict on the road to rehab. The parents who previously provided money for drugs put conditions on that money. The addict is motivated by the fact that they get a reward for going to rehab instead of just getting the money.
Teen Drug Abuse Risks and When to Consider Getting Rehab Help
Locating a Suitable Rehab and Stopping all Financial Support
This involves finding a treatment center for your adult child and then stopping all financial support until they go to it. You can find a treatment center by calling 888-646-0635Who Answers?. When the addict begins rehab, you gradually start to increase what you are willing to pay for or help them do.
