Does your loved one need rehab?
Getting someone you love to go to rehab can be difficult, especially if they are in denial about their addiction. As someone on the outside, you are able to recognize that your loved one has not been themselves and that they need help. To them, they are waiting for rock bottom and think that they have complete control over their addiction. Being able to talk to someone you love about the idea of treatment is difficult, but it can be done.
Recognize the signs
The first step to approaching your loved one with the idea of going to rehab is recognizing the signs. It’s important to document these, and even film them if possible, so your loved one can see what’s going on with their own eyes. Looking in the mirror can be difficult and can be easily avoided, so if you are able to show them what’s going on, it can help a lot with self-realization.
Signs may include:
- Change in sleeping patterns
- Change in eating habits
- Change in physical appearance, such as weight loss or weight gain
- Change in hygiene
- Change in social circle
- Distance from family and important friends
- Acting suspicious or secretive
- Mood swings
- No longer interested in hobbies
- Poor performance at work or school
- Inattentive
- Borrowing money
- Physical signs of drug abuse, such as: dilated pupils, track marks, sudden acne or skin abrasions
- Research options to present to them
If you approach a someone you love with the idea to enter a treatment facility, it helps a lot to have some options to present to them. The more they are able to understand treatment and what it entails, the more likely they will be accepting of the offer. If you leave the leg work to them, chances are they will not get it done.
Figure out the logistics
One of the main reasons people do not enter rehab is because there are too many logistics to work out. This includes getting time off of work, sorting family responsibilities if the person is married and/or has children and, of course, the big question – cost. Finding out payment options and if treatment is covered by insurance is important to figure out before you decide on a treatment center.
Our admissions specialists are available 24/7 for a confidential conversation to help sort out these logistics. We work closely with insurance companies to ensure reasonable pricing, and we can help give advice to sort other logistics as far as work and family matters. If you present the answers to these tough questions to your loved one, they will appreciate the effort and some stress about entering rehab will be eliminated.
Look into an interventionist
Sometimes, an intervention is necessary. Families can often feel hurt and resentful toward their loved one suffering from addiction. It can be difficult to have a conversation about addiction without bringing up the hurt caused by it, and this can cause the person suffering from addiction to flee the conversation and cause even further distance. People suffering from addiction are stubborn and often very good at manipulating the ones they love, which can leave families questioning their decision to offer help. That is where an interventionist comes in.
An interventionist is a 3rd party person who has no affiliation with either the family, or the person suffering from addiction. They are able to calmly and sensibly talk to them about their addiction, often times being able to relate to them. Many interventionists have suffered from addiction themselves, so they know how to offer help in the best way possible.
Support them
Support is the most important element to getting someone you love to enter rehab. This includes not only encouragement from the beginning, but support during aftercare as well. Addiction is a lifelong disease, and involvement from loved ones is key to be able to sustain sobriety.
Understanding addiction
A huge way you can help support your loved one is better understanding the disease of addiction itself. Since addiction is a family disease, it is important for immediate family members to educate themselves. Be open for the opportunity for your loved one to apologize and make amends for their misgivings. In addition, be open to the idea of joining them for therapy sessions and difficult discussions for healing. This is a huge part of the recovery process.
Aftercare support
Making sure your loved one knows they have somewhere to live and get their life back on track after treatment can help get them there in the first place. Deciding on boundaries and consequences is a major factor for aftercare, as well as recognizing the signs of relapse. Keeping your loved one on track and offering them a safe, supportive place to talk are extremely important for a successful recovery.
About Cliffside Malibu
There is no better place to offer someone you love a place to recover from their addiction than Cliffside Malibu. We can help you every step of the way, from any question you have about admissions to planning their aftercare once treatment has completed.
Each patient is then matched with one of these five stages of the Transtheoretical Model: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action and Maintenance. An individualized treatment plan is created based on their current stage of change. This process is in place to ensure that all our patients receive the best treatment path possible for their own specific need. Our goal is to move individuals through their treatment by assessing their readiness for change and formulating stage-matched interventions in order to move them through their respective stage.
It is the policy of Cliffside Malibu to ensure that all individuals who present with chemical dependency issues are assessed for the appropriate level of care. We strive to provide continuum of care including medically supervised detox, residential treatment, day treatment and outpatient services. Services are provided to individuals with a primary diagnosis of substance abuse and/or alcohol addiction. Individuals seeking treatment are assessed by qualified staff to ensure program criteria are met and that each individual admitted is placed in the appropriate level of care for treatment. The program is designed and structured for individuals who are in need of a supportive environment in order to maintain Sobriety.
For more information on Cliffside Malibu, visit cliffsidemalibu.com