Having a loved one who’s addicted to either drugs or alcohol is not a great experience. You’ll always wish to help them stop in every way possible. However, the biggest challenge you’ll face trying to stop this habit is themselves. They don’t see any reason why they should stop drinking or doing drugs, so you can’t force them. As a loved one, you show them reasons for rehab. Here are eight ways you can encourage a loved one to rehab;
1 Don’t wait; start planning
As the seconds go by, addiction gets bad, so the worst thing you can do is to try to wait before you help. You need to start immediately because they’re in danger and they do not know. So once you have confirmed, try to plan your approach as discreetly as possible. You don’t want them aware that you know about their addiction yet, else they’ll avoid you. What you need to do is to control your emotions and sanity to handle your loved one’s addiction. You can as well get them good residential rehab care.
2 Do your research
Treating addiction is not one easy task, so get ready for a lot of research. First off, you have to confirm the type of addiction you’re dealing with. If it’s drugs, they’ll probably have a lot of secret lifestyles that they adopt. Moreso, they may begin to sell off their dearly loved items. For alcohol addiction, it’s a bit more noticeable when they’re drunk. However, you need to do research enough to pinpoint the exact substance that they’re taking. After you’ve done this, you should learn about the risk factors of this addiction. You may not exactly like what you see, as it may get you scared. However, you have to learn as much as possible to help your loved one.
3 Talk relatably
One silent rule about addiction problems is that it affects the brain. Since the brain is affected, you need to be careful of how you address people in this situation. You have to learn as much as possible, to use the “I statements” when addressing an addict. For instance, you shouldn’t just walk up to an addict and say “I think you’re addicted to an ecstasy drug.” You probably wouldn’t like the reaction you’ll get from the addict as they may be aggressive or very emotional. Instead, you can say something like “I want to make you a better person.” That statement alone will make the person a lot more homely and you’ll have the opportunity to speak.
4 Try not to criticize
Now that you have the listening ear of the addict, you still have to carefully convey your message to that addict. Don’t waste this opportunity! The first thing you should note is that a single conversation can’t take them out of addiction. So you may like to make that conversation as brief and clear as possible. Expect a total denial of the addiction problem from the addict, so try to get control of your anger. Don’t even try to argue with the affected person, just show empathy. Once this conversation goes South, you may never get that opportunity again.
5 Express and show your love to them
Of course, you’re angry and disappointed to the highest levels, but you mustn’t show that anger. This is the time for you to show and express the love you have for the addict very clearly. Now, you don’t have to overdo it, but let this person know that you love them dearly. You can help them with some of their tasks, buy them gifts, and try to become their favorite person. As much as you can, try to have them in your company frequently. While doing this, make them know that you’re not a perfect person and show how pained you are.
6 Propose a reward/gift
Addiction is not a daily process; it may take weeks or months. Ask them their favorite item and promise a gift if they don’t smoke in a day, then a week, then months.
7 Cancel out fear
The drug or alcohol mostly stimulates confidence, and without it, they get scared. As much as possible, ensure that you boost their confidence levels.
8 Prepare your mind
Helping a loved one out of addiction is a very painful process. So you should try to summon all the patience you have to handle this situation.
