Watching someone you love struggle with the debilitating disease of addiction is a gut-wrenching experience.

You can want the best for your loved one, and even be willing to take on their pain and suffering if it were possible, but in the end, it is their cross to bear.

The disease of addiction is a multifaceted malady, eroding your loved one’s physical health while also dissipating their emotional stability and dissolving their healthy social connectivity. It is a disorder that attacks its victims on multiple fronts, unwavering in its assault upon the mind, body, and soul.

To compound the problem, a diagnosed substance use disorder cannot be treated if the person suffering from the disease is unwilling to request and receive the appropriate clinical interventions to address their addictive impulses.

This leaves the family of those struggling with addiction in a perpetual holding pattern, waiting for a loved one to initiate the rehabilitative process in order to achieve sustained sobriety. Understanding how to convince a loved one to start their recovery journey is a delicate process, and one that requires a soft touch and empathetic approach.

How to Convince Someone to Go to Rehab: Is It Possible?

In a perfect world you could take on your loved one’s pain and suffering caused by their addiction or force them to see the way in which their substance use disorder is destroying their life.

This could enlighten them as to the dangers of their maladaptive behavioral patterns and spark in them a fire of change that turns around their entire existence.

Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world and convincing your loved one to initiate their recovery journey is no small task. Trying to force someone into rehab is akin to dragging them up the side of a mountain.

You can try and try, but if they are not ready to begin their recovery, your efforts will all be in vain. Instead, focusing on providing unwavering social and emotional support to your addicted loved one is a better place to start.

Tips to Help an Addict Realize They Need Help

Encouraging your loved one to pursue treatment through a clinically qualified facility can be a life altering experience. That is why it is imperative to follow a few key steps when broaching the topic with someone struggling with a substance use disorder.

  1. Take the Time to Research Potential Treatment Facilities
  2. Being able to show your loved one the viable treatment options available to them is a great way to initiate the conversation of recovery.

    For many addicts, the unknowns associated with recovery can dissuade them from even starting their journey, so demystifying the available treatment options by discussing their therapeutic approach is an excellent way to decrease their anxiety and encourage their recovery.

  3. Take the Time to Educate Yourself on Their Particular Addiction
  4. Addictions come in a variety of manners and severities. Understanding which substance is plaguing your loved one, and how their addictive patterns are affecting their physical health and mental stability, is essential to guiding the dialogue you establish.

    Research the substance they are struggling with and how it impacts their mood and overall demeaner. This knowledge will greatly aid in identifying the most appropriate times to communicate effectively with your loved one.

  5. Take the Time to Establish a Constant Line of Communication with Your Loved One
  6. The last thing your loved one wants to feel is cornered and attacked. That is why waiting to discuss their addiction, and the need for rehab, until they are inebriated or experiencing personal hardship is counterproductive.

    Instead, make the effort to consistently communicate with your loved one about everything going on in their daily life: their friends, their interests, their time at work, whatever you can think of to get them to openly communicate with you.

  7. Show Compassion Without Enabling Your Loved One’s Addiction Behaviors
  8. Being emotionally available and physically accessible to your loved one is an excellent way to show them they are a priority in your life. This will aid in dropping their guard and instilling in them a confidence to approach you with their personal issues.

    It is a balance to be there for them without excusing or minimizing their negative decision patterns. Providing emotional support and encouragement is an amazing asset, but allowing them to experience the consequences of their actions is necessary for them to achieve personal growth.

How to Get a Loved One to Go to Rehab Starts by Supporting their Recovery, Not Enabling their Addictive Behaviors

Trying to convince a loved one to enter into rehab is commendable, but a potentially frustrating process.

Your loved one will begin their recovery journey when they have accepted the fact that they are struggling with a disease and genuinely want to achieve a happier and healthier existence.

That is why encouraging them when they feel defeated and communicating with them on a consistent basis is an excellent way to establish the foundational dialogue that can precede their transition into rehab. Remember, your loved one has to want to get better in order to actually achieve long-term sobriety.

Renowned, Life-Changing Holistic Addiction Treatment at Ranch Creek Recovery

Substance abuse is devastating to individuals, families, and communities, but it is more than possible to
break free of the chains of addiction.

If your loved one is addicted to drugs or alcohol and ready to begin again and get sober, Ranch Creek Recovery can help.

Through our holistic addiction treatment programs, your loved one’s recovery journey will be supported by our dedicated staff in a more intimate, serene recovery environment with a higher level of care, more focused individual recovery plans, and an alternative, non-12-step approach.

We go beyond the traditional, widely used 12-Step program and focus on tailor-fitting each recovery program to address every patient’s unique needs.

At Ranch Creek, you are not alone. Your loved one is not alone. We will travel the entire recovery journey with your loved one until they are clean and thriving. Even then, we will always be here to support them.

Learn more about Ranch Creek Recovery, including what we offer and what we treat.