Summary: Substance abuse is a major problem that affects millions of people worldwide. When your close friend or family member is trapped in a toxic cycle of addiction and they completely refuse to seek help, it can be easy to feel helpless. However, there are some useful steps you can take to help them overcome this vice.
If you notice that your friend or family member needs addiction treatment, perhaps you have tried staging an intervention in an effort to get them to see the need for seeking help. But what happens when these efforts are met with a firm ‘NO’? Well, here are some tips on what you can do when your loved one refuses addiction treatment.
Identify and remove enabling habits
While it is true that the decision to continue indulging in self-debilitating addictive behavior is solely determined by an individual, the community that one lives in can play a key role in enabling such behavior. For instance, if you are supporting your loved one financially by giving them a huge amount of spending money, then this could be one of the ways in which you are funding their addiction. To remove this enabling habit, you can opt to only give them support in kind ie. Providing packed lunch instead of giving them cash to buy their own food. This will go a long way in cutting off the lifeline that they have been relying on to feed their addiction.
Set clear boundaries and enforce them
One of the reasons why an addict may refuse to change and enroll for addiction treatment programs is because they are aware that there are no consequences to their bad behavior. In order to eliminate this problem, you need to set clear boundaries and follow through with the consequences. For instance, if you set a rule that no drugs or alcohol are allowed in your home, then you should set a suitable consequence for what happens when this boundary is breached. This could be something like taking away internet rights or driving privileges for a certain period of time. When your loved one comes face to face with the harsh reality of the consequences of their actions, this could help steer them in the right direction towards recovery.
Enact the Marchman Act
In certain states, the law allows family members to seek a court order which forces a person living with addiction to be admitted in an addiction treatment facility despite their refusal to seek treatment. This involuntary hospitalization Florida falls under the Marchman Act of 1993. It is specifically aimed at targeting potentially dangerous situations where an individual’s suffering from substance abuse is a danger to themselves and others. In addition, the individual needs to have clearly shown that they are unable to manage their addiction and are also unable to make clear rational decisions concerning their treatment.