Helping someone overcome an addiction can be one of the most challenging moments in your life. You may not know how to help an addict that refuses treatment. Furthermore, all of your attempts to help them join a family therapy program in Northern IL have been in vain.
However, there is hope. With the help of family, friends, and a treatment specialist, you may be able to encourage a loved one or friend to get treatment, although they do not initially want to. Here at Northern Illinois Recovery Center, we can help individuals and families learn strategies that may increase the chances of successfully getting someone in need into an addiction treatment program.
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What Is an Intervention?
An intervention may be your last resort (or your first, depending on your situation). However, it may also be your most effective way of helping someone in denial. An intervention usually involves you, the person addicted to the substance, and a mediator. In an intervention, you confront the person head-on and tell them that they need to go to rehab.
An intervention needs to be staged. You need to know what, where, when, and how it is going to happen. You also need to know what you will say, prepare for the responses, and prepare any reactions. Your best option is to enlist the help of a treatment specialist or other addiction professional if possible. They can guide you through the process of intervention.
How To Be Supportive and Not Condemning
Addicts are already surrounded by negativity – much of which they have created on their own. While it is understandable to become angry, projecting your anger, depression, or negative emotions at the addicted person will not help them. Furthermore, it is likely to drive them away.
When confronting someone about their addiction, you need to be firm but supportive. Do not let them lie to you, make excuses for their behavior, or promise that they will quit. On the other hand, do not yell at them, blame them for all the current problems, or degrade them. Instead, state the facts and let them know that they have your support. Be encouraging and positive. You are more likely to win someone over.
How to Stop and Avoid Enabling
There is a difference between empathy and feeling sorry for your loved one. If you continue to feel sorry for them, you may give them money, allow them to continue making excuses, or continue using your substance.
Enabling your family member or friends does not help them. It only allows them to continue spiraling into an unhealthy addiction. You need to make a clear boundary and work toward getting the other person in a treatment center. Doing so may save their life and keep your sanity.
Learn How to Help an Addict That Refuses Treatment at Northern Illinois Recovery Center
Finding help to heal from addiction can be daunting. It is especially challenging when someone you care about is resistant to getting the help they need. However, at Northern Illinois Recovery Center, we can help educate you so it is easier to reach out to and convince someone struggling with addiction to find help. We offer resources, education, and intervention for all types of drug and alcohol addiction, including:
- Partial hospitalization program
- Intensive outpatient program
- Outpatient treatment
- Sober living program
- Aftercare
Across all our programs, individuals can take advantage of numerous therapies, such as:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Family therapy
- Group therapy
- Yoga therapy
- Individual therapy
- Trauma therapy
If you need to find out more about how to help an addict that refuses treatment, then contact Northern Illinois Recovery Center today. Call us at 855.786.1978 to learn more about our family therapy program.
Licensed Physician and Surgeon
Dr. Beth Dunlap, a board-certified addiction medicine and family medicine physician, and is the medical director at Northern Illinois Recovery Center. She is responsible for overseeing all the integrated medical services at both campuses. Beth completed medical school, residency, and fellowship at Northwestern University, where she continues to serve on the faculty as a member of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She has extensive experience in addiction medicine at all levels of care, and her clinical interests include integrated primary care and addiction medicine, harm reduction, and medication-assisted treatment.
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