How To Get An Alcoholic Into Rehab

How to Get an Alcoholic Into Rehab

Do you know someone that needs rehab for alcohol? If you notice that one of your loved ones has an addiction, you can start looking into the various treatment options. When you and your closest loved ones find a provider for the addiction or alcoholic in your family, then and only then, should you have a conversation with that person about it. Talk to them about their addiction and the consequences of what they are doing. This can be a casual talk or you can hold an intervention. While this talk isn’t usually easy, it needs to be done.

You may have some fears regarding the rehab process, how your loved one will be responding to your conversation with them, or some other questions about the way that the treatment program works. These concerns are all normal.

However, you should know there are many different resources which can help you to feel better. The more you know about the rehab process, treatment options for addiction, and how things work, the better you can hold up during the conversation with the addict or alcoholic in your life.

Sending a Loved One to an Addiction Rehab Program

When someone in the family suspects that another family member has an addiction to drugs or alcohol, they may be full of fear. They may have many questions and concerns as well. However, you should know that if you break the process into smaller steps, this will make it much easier to handle things. It will also make it much easier to get your loved one into a treatment program quicker as well.

The first thing you need to do is to recognize the time for getting help and admitting that this person in your life needs to attend a rehab program. Just doing this alone can be quite a challenge. Most family members don’t want to admit their loved one has an addiction. With that being said, there are certain signs that may determine if your loved one needs to go to rehab, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The signs include:

Missing school or work because they are drunk, or hungover
Spending much of their time drinking
Feeling ill because they stop drinking (may experience sleeplessness, seeing things, nausea, or shakiness)
Keep drinking even after it has caused problems for their friends and family
Regular putting themselves into situations where they are in danger due to their drinking (ex. Driving under the influence)

Other behaviors that are causing you some concern that they do regularly can also be signs that they need to attend a rehab program as well.

It can be tough for family members to notice the signs of an addiction, since they may also be in denial that this person suffers with a disorder. It can be even more difficult to ask for some help. However, if you do notice symptoms of an alcohol addiction, there are steps that can be taken to better help your loved one.

It is essential to realize that detoxing from alcohol could be extremely dangerous. While you may want your loved one to just quit drinking cold turkey, this could result in hazardous or even fatal consequences. This varies depending on how severe their alcoholism disorder is at the time. Due to these possible consequences, it is safer for your loved one to detox from their alcohol addiction in a professional detox center.

Locating an Alcohol Rehab Treatment Program

While it might seem like a bad idea to find a rehab program before you talk to your addicted loved one, doing so can give them the option to accept treatment immediately. Having any type of delay could cause them to back out. There are many different resources available to help you locate the rehab facility that would be best for your loved one. There are local and state resources available. Many agencies have lists of different types of programs. There are also public and private addiction rehab programs available. While there are many choices, keeping in mind just what you are looking for, can reduce the overwhelming sensations you might have associated with this process.

The majority of experts agree that someone with an addiction is more likely to recover if they attend a residential, inpatient rehab program. In this type of program, they will get 24-hour support and supervision. This enables them to focus more on their treatments, the therapy the receive, and the entire recovery process. If you want your loved one to have a better chance of succeeding in sobriety and recovery, most experts would recommend this type of program.

Some of the aspects of the residential rehab program you can look for are the following:

Medical detox program
Ability for them to accommodate to dual diagnosis disorders such as anxiety, depression, or other issues that occur along with the addiction
Ability to offer medical support in recovery, if that is needed
Use of research based therapy such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
Peer support groups
Family therapy
Education for post-treatment management of sobriety

You may also want or need to consider how much the treatment program is going to cost. Many insurance plans would at least partially cover the addiction rehab program. There may also be sliding scale fee programs available as well. Payment plans may be another option you have available.

Learn About Interventions

If you can secure a spot for your loved one in a rehab program, it is time for you and other family members to confront the person with an addiction. Talk to them about ways they can better live their life without judging them. This is generally called the intervention. It can be difficult because you don’t know entirely what should be expected of your addicted loved one. However, you can get the help of a professional intervention specialist. They can help to steer the conversation in the right direction. The interventionist knows what challenges might come up including:

Anger
Unwillingness to admit there is a problem
Refusal to get help
Participants enabling or becoming too emotional

Medical professionals can help with the intervention stage as well

Treatment Options

Getting treatment for an alcohol addiction usually involves the addict to withdraw from alcohol first. This is generally done with a medical detox program. Afterwards, this person can go through various addiction treatments and different therapies to help them overcome the addiction. The therapy sessions can help them find the underlying problems that caused them to abuse alcohol. Family therapy is usually part of this process too.

When dealing with an addiction, family dynamics are generally complicated. The relationships between the alcoholic and family members, and the family dynamics in total, often get intertwined with the addiction. The family therapy sessions can help to drawn on any strengths the family might have as a whole. It will also define and work on any weaknesses in the family as well.

Another reason for family therapy is to help each family member get on board to support the recovering alcoholic. Sometimes, certain issues within the family can trigger the recovering alcoholic to drink again. If you want to help the recovering alcoholic in your life, attending family therapy with them could be one way for you to do this. Learn more about the cost of addiction rehab here.

Post-Treatment Family Support

It is essential for all family members to be aware that alcoholism is a disease. It is an illness just like any other medical problem. The recovering alcoholic needs to continuously manage their recovery. For this reason, it is essential the family members keep supporting the recovering alcoholic. This support should be done before, during, and after the rehab process. Rehab won’t cure your loved one. It is only part of the process. Recovery is a lifelong process.

Continuing to support the person who is in recovery is essential. You can be a part of their support network. While this can be a struggle, just being there for them, is one of the things that might help them out the most. They need to know they have people there to back them up in recovery. They need to know they have people who are going to just be there to listen to them. Your loved one is going through a difficult time too and they need you and others to support them.

You could also attend Al-Anon meetings as well. These can help you to better understand what your loved one is going through. You can also get resources for handling the process for yourself as well. The addiction of your loved one affected you as well as the alcoholic in your life. You will need healing as well.

Do you know someone who has an alcohol addiction? If so, do you think they need to attend a rehab program? There are many different rehab centers available and you can get the help needed to find the right one for your loved one. Make that call today.

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Medical disclaimer:

Sunshine Behavioral Health strives to help people who are facing substance use disorder, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions. It does this by providing compassionate care and evidence-based content that addresses health, treatment, and recovery.

Licensed medical professionals review material we publish on our site. The material is not a substitute for qualified medical diagnoses, treatment, or advice. It should not be used to replace the suggestions of your personal physician or other health care professionals.