5 Steps To Convincing Someone They Need Drug Rehab

Seeing someone you care about struggling with drug or alcohol addiction can be heartbreaking. Unfortunately, no matter how many times you tell them to stop, it can often fall on deaf ears due to the complexities of addiction. 

You do not need to throw your hands in the air and admit defeat if you truly believe and want to convince your loved one that they should go to rehab to save their life. If you find yourself in this situation, consider using the following five steps to convince someone that they need drug rehab.

Convincing a loved one they need drug rehab isn't easy, but it's worth it.

#1. Do Your Research

If you have loved ones struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, you may realize that you do not know much about the disease itself. Unfortunately, stopping addiction is not as simple as a person deciding to walk away from drugs or alcohol, because it is a disease that rewires the reward system in their brain. By doing your own research, you can educate yourself on what addiction is and look into the best ways to support your loved one.

#2. Reach Out to an Addiction Specialist

While doing your own research can provide you with valuable information concerning addiction and how to help your loved one, there is no one better to learn from than an expert in the field. Reaching out to a counselor, therapist, intervention specialist, or addiction specialist at an addiction center can provide you with the most accurate information you need to help your loved one. 

Talking specifically to an intervention specialist can help you plan an intervention for your loved one, which is the next step on this list. By talking to experts in the field, you can avoid any misinformation online and begin taking significant steps toward convincing someone that they need drug rehab, including finding the best treatment center for your loved one.

#3. Plan an Intervention

After educating yourself on addiction and talking with a specialist, the next step in convincing someone that they need drug rehab is to stage an intervention. An intervention is a planned conversation between you and your struggling loved one. Often, an intervention specialist is involved in the planning of the intervention and is present at the intervention itself as a moderator.

Interventions are ideal because they are much more than simply talking to a person and trying to convince them to get help. Instead, an intervention helps communicate your feelings and tries to show the person struggling how their actions affect not only themself but also others. An intervention’s ultimate goal is to convince the person struggling to admit they have a problem and go to a treatment facility.

Because interventions are often emotionally charged, planning ahead with the loved ones and addiction specialists is a good idea. Everything should be prepared in advance, including the meeting place, time, and what each person will say. Then, the specialist can act as a moderator between everyone as the intervention takes place. Hopefully, the person struggling will realize they need help and agree to seek it out.

#4. Be Prepared for Rejection and Control Your Emotions

As much as you may want them to, a person struggling with addiction may be resistant to going to rehab. Admitting you have a problem, especially one as heavy as addiction, can be difficult for many people and cause them to resist change. This can happen even if everything around them is crumbling. 

Therefore, you need to be prepared for rejection after all of the planning that goes into talking to your loved one. Getting angry will not solve the problem at hand and will most likely make things worse. Instead, approach your loved one from a place of genuine compassion and concern. They will be more likely to listen and understand if you are calm.

#5. Don’t Wait, but Take Care of Yourself Too

It is important to remember that early intervention is the best way to go when it comes to convincing your loved one that they need help. Waiting until someone hits their lowest point can make it harder for them to recover in a healthy way. It could also be too late by the time you try to convince them they need help. 

As much as you may want to help your loved one, you must prioritize your own mental health during the process. You cannot pour so much into another person that your cup ends up becoming empty in the process. Check-in on them, but always remember to fill your cup so you can adequately support them in or out of rehab. Consider joining a peer support group.

Convincing Someone that they Need Drug Rehab is a Challenging Task

This is especially true for someone you care about, as emotions can run high and cause further tension. For these reasons, DetoxNearMe.com wants to provide you with the right resources once your loved one makes the right decision.

Detox is the first step towards recovery, and we’ll help you find a drug detox near you which fits your loved one’s needs and budget. DetoxNearMe.com is the best place to start searching today!