What to do When an Addict Refuses Treatment
You are bound to feel frustration and anger when someone you care about refuses to get treatment for their addiction. It can feel like you are left with no option other than to give them an ultimatum. But this is a huge mistake and will almost always drive them deeper into addiction. Let’s take a look at the two key things you can do when an addict refuses treatment.
Stop Enabling
When someone you care about is struggling with addiction, it can be hard not to enable them. While this is definitely not your intention, there are many reasons why you might enable an addict. Naturally, you may be concerned that they might go out and commit a crime if you don’t provide financial support. If you are living with an addict, you may not want to ask them to leave in case they end up without a permanent residence or living with other addicts.
However, if there are no consequences to their addiction, they are unlikely to seek help for it. If you are providing financial assistance to an addict, you are effectively funding their habit. When an addict refuses treatment, one of the only powerful things you can do to support them is to stop giving them money.
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Stage an Intervention
An intervention can be the only way to help an addict recognise they need to get help. Interventions allow you to gain support from other family and friends of the person with an addiction. During an intervention, the involvement of friends and family is a convincing way to give someone indisputable evidence that they need to get help for their addiction.
Unlike trying to persuade someone to get help for addiction one-on-one, during an intervention, you are less likely to get angry or for the conversation to spiral out of control. Individuals often agree to get treatment following an intervention because they realise there are people who care and want to support them.
The decision of whether to get addiction treatment is a personal one, and an addict can not be forced to seek help. If you are concerned about someone you care about, contact us for free advice and information about how to go about getting them help.
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