How to Confront Someone about Abuse Drug Treatment

When someone you know and care about needs an intervention regarding their drug abuse and need for drug abuse treatment, you shouldn’t expect gratitude or thank-you’s, especially not right away. When you decide to take the steps needed in getting a loved one into a drug abuse treatment program, the process can be very frustrating and heart-breaking. Getting the person to admit that they have a problem and need help is the first step and usually one of the most difficult.

In a typical situation, confronting the person who needs drug abuse treatment will result in immediate denial or convincing excuses or explanations of why they don’t have a problem or why they don’t need help. In many cases, the individual will actually believe their own lies and may lash out at the one who is trying to help. People with drug abuse problems are skilled at taking the focus off of themselves and shifting the blame and attention to others around them. When proposing the idea to someone abusing drugs that they may need drug abuse treatment, it takes enormous strength and persistence on the part of the person who is intervening. You run the risk of putting a relationship in jeopardy, but the optimistic outcome of helping someone you care about to make healthy changes in their life is worth the potential stress on any relationship.

Using outside Resources to Introduce the idea of Drug Abuse Treatment

In many situations where a person is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, a force other than their own or the encouragement of friends or family is often times needed to prove that changes need to be made. No matter how much you try and convince a person who is abusing drugs that they need treatment, the ultimate decision needs to be made by the addict themselves. It is a sad, but true reality that as much as you would like to make a difference in a loved ones life, it’s not going to be easy nor a change that will occur overnight. You cannot force someone into drug abuse treatment, but there are things you can do to try to help that person make the decision for them to get help.

Drug abuse treatment experts have offered tips to assist you in confronting and suggesting drug abuse treatment to someone who needs help. .

• Look into the amount the individuals insurance company will cover for drug abuse treatment. (if this is possible).

• Choose a time to confront the individual who is abusing drugs at a time when you know they are sober and not using. When you approach them, do so in a gentle and non-threatening manner. Don’t be self-righteous, try to be helpful. Don’t be judgmental but do express your feelings and concerns about the individual’s drug abuse and the problems it has caused.

• Be prepared to present the individual with different treatment options and information about the drug abuse treatment programs. Show them that you care enough to have looked into the possibilities before you confronted them.

• Be sure not to do anything that will enable the person’s drug abuse. For example don’t give them money to pay their bills or for anything else they claim they may need. Don’t call in sick for them to work. If they are not forced to face the consequences of their actions resulting from their drug abuse then will not have any need to make changes to their behavior.

It will help if you describe specific consequences that have resulted from the person’s drug abuse. Layout possible scenarios that may occur in the person’s life if the choose to continue abusing drugs and do not get help from a drug abuse treatment center. You may say that you don’t want to a part of their life until they make changes, or say that they may lose their job or their current relationship. Whatever you do suggest cannot be false however, or they will not take you seriously. If you are committed to helping them, then you need to stick to it no matter what may transpire.