What if Your Loved One Resists Substance Abuse Treatment?
If your loved one is resisting treatment there are other ways you can support them or encourage them to help themself.
Feelings of denial can cast a wide net within the life of an addict. The effects of drugs on the mind make it all but impossible for addicts to acknowledge, let alone confront, how drugs have damaged their lives.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as of 2009, an estimated 23.5 million people aged 12 and older suffer from a substance abuse problem. Out of 23.5 million people, only 2.6 million actually sought out the help they needed.
When the addict refuses to get needed drug treatment help, loved ones can still take steps to reduce the effects of addiction in their lives and maybe even effect change in the addict’s life.
Here are five things you can do if your loved one resists substance abuse treatment:
1. Self-Supports
The longer an addict continues to abuse drugs the worse living conditions become. It’s highly unlikely he or she will just snap out of it or have a change of heart. For these reasons, it’s important for loved ones to have a support system in place.
A support system enables loved ones to maintain a sense of stability and normalcy in their lives. Self-supports can take the form of:
A support group, such as an Al-Anon or ACOA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) group
Enjoyable activities or interest
Counseling/psychotherapy
2. Detachment
More than anything else, it’s important for loved ones not to get emotionally entrenched in the addicts chaotic lifestyle. It’s not uncommon for addicts to become verbally abusive when under the influence. During these times, his or her sense of reason and judgment has become impaired by the effects of drugs or alcohol.
Being able to detach or remove oneself from the addict’s dysfunctional behavior displays can go a long way towards helping loved ones maintain their peace of mind.
3. Boundary Setting
Boundary setting has to do with loved ones communicating and establishing limits with the addict. While the addict may refuse to get needed treatment help, loved ones can still enforce limits on the types of behaviors they will and will not tolerate.
Examples of boundary setting include:
Refusing to lie for the addict
Refusing to keep or get the addict out of trouble
Making plans to stay at a friend’s house when the addict comes home under the influence
4. Arrange an Intervention Meeting
For many addicts, the effects of ongoing drug use make it impossible for them to see how drugs have damaged their lives as well as their relationships with loved ones. An intervention meeting enables an addict to get a bird’s eye view of the effects of addiction in his or her daily life.
Loved ones can arrange an intervention meeting on their own or have an intervention specialist organize and conduct the meeting.
5. Legal Options
While taking legal measures can seem harsh, it may well be warranted in cases where the addict poses a danger to himself (or herself) and/or others when under the influence. In everyday life, acts of violence or physical abuse often require intervention by law enforcement officials to prevent a bad situation from becoming worse.
Some states in the U. S. allow loved ones to commit an addict in cases where he or she becomes a danger to self and others. Granted, the addict may well harbor anger and resentment as a result, but circumstances will only continue to get worse for as long as he or she continues to use.
Art therapy, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is a nontraditional type of therapeutic modality that is considered to be “not only compatible with but also essential to the success of treatment” for many individuals in rehab for drug and alcohol addiction. Art therapy can be extremely beneficial to rehab patients in many….
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, not all treatments work for everyone. This is why finding a treatment center that fits your needs is so important. There are some basic things that all treatment centers should have. Accreditation The treatment center you choose should be accredited by the: Joint Commission, the National Committee….
The National Survey on Drug Use & Health estimated that more than 1.2 million Americans who were over the age of 12 had used methamphetamine at least once in their lifetime. This habit forming drug can result in a lifetime of consequences and for some will lead to addictive behaviors that require treatment and rehabilitation….
Of all the known addictive substances, alcohol remains the most accepted in terms of the place it holds within American society’s customs and norms. For many struggling with alcohol abuse problems, what started out as a casual, commonplace indulgence morphed into an out-of-control behavior that slowly took over their lives. The type of help available….
Support is a major component of all successful recoveries from substance use disorders. Most people look to their families as a source of this support. But, what do you do if your family is part of the problem and can’t support your recovery? Or, what do you do if your family can’t support you because….
Excessive drinking can lead to serious damage to the body including many unforeseen neurological and memory loss problems. Inpatient alcohol rehab centers provide treatment for many of the consequential damages caused by alcohol addiction, but in some cases, the damage created by long term alcoholism cannot be turned around. Permanent problems such as alcoholic dementia….
With new designer drugs entering the market every year, coupled with the old standbys – heroin, cocaine, ecstasy – teen drug abuse rates continue to increase with each passing year. While teens still face the same pressures in terms of hormonal changes, identity development and academic performance, today’s fast-paced world only adds to the pressure….
Every drug rehab center provides a different range of programs but all have the same common goal to help individuals successfully stop using drugs and alcohol and live sober. Success at drug rehab is not limited to the services provided by the rehab center. The success of an individual who completes drug rehab is dependent….
There are many types of anxiety disorders, and all of them can be debilitating in their own ways. When a person has been struggling with anxiety for a long time, or if his or her anxiety makes it difficult to perform daily tasks, anxiety rehab should be considered. Types of Anxiety Disorders The NIMH lists….
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is an extremely complicated illness. To treat it, rehab centers help people by providing a variety of both medical and nonmedical services. Many use the latest treatments to push people past addiction into recovery. When considering a rehab it is important to remember the ways that….
Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Calls to any general helpline will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed, each of which is a paid advertiser.
By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.
