The way to get a drug addict into treatment is to have them sign up on their own. Some addicts are so addicted that they will not go into rehab unless it’s court-ordered. If you’re trying to help someone who refuses, there are steps you can take to get them the help they need without making it mandatory.
1. Try To Get Them into Court-ordered Treatment
If you can show that this person is actively using drugs, the courts will order the addict into drug rehab. The legal system knows that once a person is forced into treatment, that’s often when they finally decide to change their lives around.
2. Don’t Make Threats
When you’re trying to get someone into treatment, you have to explain why they should go. Telling them, “If you don’t go, I won’t love you anymore” or “I’m leaving unless you get help” are not good motivators. You always want to motivate the addict with positive incentives instead of negative ones.
3. Be Their Friend
If you’ve never been friends with the addict before, now is the time to start. Instead of nagging or threatening them, try appealing to their better side and get close to them. Spend more time with them, confide in them about personal stuff.
4. Be Confident That They Need Help
It’s straightforward to push an addict away if you’re trying too hard to get them into rehab. If you seem worried or doubtful, the addict will feel that it’s not a good time for them to go and may put off getting help.
5. Offer Your Support and Encouragement During Treatment
If the person struggling with addiction agrees to go into treatment, you have to be there for them every step of the way. Please don’t talk about how hopeless their situation is or what a bad decision they made. Be supportive and give them some encouragement instead.
When someone refuses help, it’s often because they feel as if nobody cares about them or wants to help. You can change this by offering your support and showing the addict that you care enough about them to want to see a change in their life. If you stay strong, don’t give up on helping them, and keep a positive attitude throughout the whole process, the person will soon realize that going into treatment will be beneficial for everyone involved & they’ll finally agree.
6. Be Encouraging
If you’ve been trying to get the addict into treatment for a long time and every time you bring up rehab, they tell you that it’s not a good time, then maybe your approach needs to change. Don’t meet anger with anger and keep the conversation upbeat – eventually, this will help break down their resistance.
7. Offer an Ultimatum
Some addicts need someone to lay down the law for them to realize how serious the situation is. If your loved one keeps telling you that they don’t want to be in treatment, but they also aren’t doing anything about it – then you could try giving them a request such as “you can either go to rehab, or we can no longer speak to one another.” If they refuse to go into treatment just because you don’t want them in your life anymore, then that may be the exact push they need to get them into rehab.
8. Allow Them To Go Voluntarily
If all else fails and the addict is still refusing help, they can enter drug rehab on their own accord. Make sure they understand that if they go out of their own free will, you’ll continue being supportive throughout their entire stay in treatment. Some addicts are so strung out or addicted that even though they know there’s a great chance for change during rehab, it’s hard for them to get past their addiction & reach that point of realization on their own, at least not right away. If you want to be supportive, then you’ve got to let the addict come around on their own time.
9. Remain Patient and Flexible
The best thing that you can do for an addict who is trying to get clean but isn’t quite ready yet is to remain patient and flexible. Don’t expect too much too soon; otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment if/when they don’t follow through with getting help. You always want to make sure that your loved one feels comfortable enough to come forward when they are ready – even if it’s not right away. If you keep pushing them, they’ll feel like everything is all about them doing something instead of just being there for them during a difficult struggle – which could eventually lead them to resent you and want to leave treatment.
10. Stop Enabling Them
If the addict is refusing help yet again, then do not make any attempts to give them money or let them stay at your house. Many addicts will refuse rehab if they know that there’s an easy way out, which is why family members need to stop enabling their loved ones. The last thing you want to do is put more money into supporting someone who doesn’t intend to get better – because it’ll just prolong the addiction & further hurt everyone involved.
Conclusion
It’s difficult to watch a loved one refuse help again and again, but many addicts need this time to realize that they have a problem. You can be supportive by remaining patient, stopping enabling them, and giving the addict some space if needed – but most importantly, you should never give up on helping them get clean. If you’re committed, your efforts will eventually pay off and they’ll finally agree to treatment. If you need expert consultation for your loved one who refuses treatment, you can call us on 833-497-3808 now.