When a loved one seems out of control and near death from addiction, you may have no idea what to do for them. After exhausting every effort to help them, including enabling them and acting co-dependently, you may have decided that enough is enough.
You can no longer go on living with the problem without having a solution, which you may believe at this point might be you forcing them into treatment. The only problem with this scenario is it has you wondering if you can send your loved one to rehab involuntarily?
They Must Be Ready
If a person is not ready to get sober, they may only get sober in the short-term just to appease you. When getting sober is your idea, they may want nothing to do with it until they make it their idea. They may also be in denial of how determinantal it is for them to get sober.
You Must Get Legal Assistance
Depending on each state, there are a set of requirements that, if met, can give you the ability to legally get them into rehab. There are 37 states, including Colorado, that have involuntarily commitment laws designed to help someone who struggles with drugs and alcohol get the treatment they need through a court-ordered rehab. If your loved one does not comply, they could be in violation of the court until they are deemed to be able to care for themselves.
Intervention Must Take Place
You may need to obtain help to have a conversation about your concerns for your loved one’s addiction while giving them boundaries as to what will happen if they do not go to rehab. The goal of an intervention is to let the person with the addiction know that you can no longer love them to death by cutting off financial or emotional support until they agree to go to treatment.
While you may want to control your loved one, getting the help you need, more importantly, will allow you to accept their addiction. Take into consideration the options you have and how they will be useful in your loved one’s situation. Recovery is not a one-size-fits-all scenario. Patience, love, and tolerance have to be part of the solution, or you may have to detach with love for your sanity.
If you, or someone you know, struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, Valiant Living can be instrumental with cessation. Offering a full range of recovery and mental health services, we offer “Expanded Recovery” to enrich our clients’ lives in mind, body, and spirit. With the power of recovery, clients are restored to full health and experience life-changing healing. Call us today for more information at (303) 536-5463.
