If you’re reading this now that means someone you love probably needs addiction treatment. You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for help to get someone into rehab for drugs or alcohol. We are not about to tell you that it’s easy or simple, but we can say is that we’ve helped thousands of people just like you before. That means know the way forward. We hope that the words on this page will help give you not only hope and the courage to move forward but answer your most pressing questions about getting help for addiction.

Watching someone you care about destroy themselves certainly ranks as one of life’s most frustrating experiences. It can be absolutely heartbreaking when you know someone needs addiction treatment and that it may even cost them their life if they don’t get it. Desert rose recovery wants you to know that while this may feel like a hopeless situation you have more power than you know. The fact that you’re here and reading these words means that you care enough to take action. That means more than you know.

Cause for Hope in Addiction Recovery

Here’s a fact that should give you cause for hope. Addiction treatment is more effective now than it has ever been before. You read that right. While the battle against addiction is far from won, drug and alcohol treatment and recovery are saving more lives today than ever before. Evidence-based treatment is one of the biggest reasons why. A revolution of sorts in alcohol and drug treatment has created a laser-like focus on the evidence-based treatment.

Evidence-based addiction treatment is just what it sounds like. Treatment for addiction, which is based on evidence. A truly evidence-based treatment program like Desert Rose Recovery, utilized addiction care methods that have been proven effective by clinical research. For too long, alcohol and drug rehabs have had to rely on a too limited understanding of not only the mechanism of addiction in the brain. It has taken decades of addiction research in both private and public sector, but we have a solid understanding now of what treatment methods really deliver results.

Real Help for Real Problems

Put simply, Desert Rose Recovery’s dedication to the evidence-based addiction treatment model means no guesswork in our approach. No empty promises or reliance on feel-good sayings with no definitive action to back them up. We mean business. Of course, no addiction treatment center can guarantee 100% recovery 100% of the time for 100% of their clients.. But we can promise we will provide the person you love with all of the resources they need to get recovery. We will also do everything in our power to give them a meaningful, transformative recovery experience here. But any program which quotes lofty sounding success rates at you should be viewed with skepticism

Be sure to ask how “success” is defined. A “90% success rate” sounds great, but what does that mean? 90% of the people who complete a program are still sober a week later? A month? A year? How about their mental health? Are they sober, but absolutely miserable and white knuckling it? We prefer to cut the marketing jargon nonsense here and get down to brass tacks, as they say. This means we offer real help for real problems and we tell the truth about addiction and recovery. So, in the spirit of the evidence-based philosophy we’re going to give you a few pieces of sound advice which are proven to help get people into addiction treatment.

What Do You Do When Someone Doesn’t Want Help for Addiction?

We get this question a lot. So, what can you do to help someone who doesn’t want help? The first thing to know is that nobody who is caught in the throes of addiction truly doesn’t want help. So, let go of the assumption that they mean what they say when someone tells you they don’t want help. More often than not what that person is really telling you is that they are afraid to stop using or drinking. They may be afraid of uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Or they may be afraid of the thoughts that will come to torment them when their mind is clear and sober. It could be facing the consequences of their actions or living with the echoing effects of trauma they haven’t been able to properly process.

Usually, it is some combination of most or all of those things. One thing is for sure. They don’t want to be stuck in the downward spiral of addiction, even if they don’t know how to ask for help. The best thing you can do for this person is to keep the lines of communication open. Avoid blame or shame. Tell them you are ready to help them get addiction treatment the minute they say they’ll go. Be sure and tell them this more than once. Don’t pressure them or guilt trip them but do let them get sick of hearing you say it. Never let there be any question that you’re ready to help them stop their nightmare. They should feel safe coming to you with that request for help, anytime.

Do’s and Don’ts

Here are some do’s and don’ts for you when interacting with a person who needs addiction treatment but says they’re not sure they’re ready or offering stubborn resistance.

DO:

• Listen to what they say and keep communication open.
• Tell them you love them. Then tell them again and make sure they know you mean it.
• Be a safe place for them to talk or seek love and comfort.
• Let them know their situation is serious and you are worried, but you don’t want an apology, the best apology they can give you is accepting help and being willing to try.
• Consider a professional intervention if the situation is serious and there seems no end in sight other than tragedy. Give us a call regarding intervention, we can help advise you about where to go.

DON’T:

• Don’t blame, shame or guilt trip them into going to addiction treatment.
• Do not enable them by giving them cash or paying their bills (unless it’s directly related to getting them addiction treatment or to save their life)
• Don’t threaten them or use anger as a weapon to coerce them.
• Do not ‘cosign’ their BS. This means, be honest with them. Don’t be unnecessarily critical, but if they say, “Hey I’ve really screwed my life up” and they have, it’s OK to agree with them. Don’t say “nah, you’ll be fine”. Instead say “Yes, your life is pretty screwed up right now, but I know you can fix it if you accept the help we’re offering you”.

Getting to ‘Yes’ in Addiction Treatment

No one wants to be a prisoner to addiction. Addiction is a monster that fights for survival. It uses fear to keep them from asking for addiction help. Fear of withdrawal and getting sick. The fear of being sober and squirming, left alone with their thoughts and despair. Addiction is a disease, make no mistake. It is not someone’s fault they are an addict. But it is their responsibility to do something about it. That doesn’t mean relying on willpower to stop using and drinking. Addiction to drugs or alcohol isn’t a matter of discipline or self-control. The addict much accept they have lost the power of choice where drugs or alcohol are concerned. They do not have the power to stop or “cut down” on their own. They can recover, but recovery is a team effort. You cannot do it alone and it’s not a matter of thinking and “figuring it out”. No amount of time alone and thinking will make recovery or a magical wellspring of self-control erupt where none was before.

Addiction Recovery is About Action

Addiction recovery requires action more than thinking. Too much thinking gets in the way if anything. If deep thinking and brooding was all that was required to recover, places like Desert Rose Recovery wouldn’t exist. The first action your loved one needs to take is to get out of their own way. Just accept help and summon whatever willingness they have to go with the flow. They don’t have to “figure it out”. They just have to surrender and trust and we willing to do what they are told by the people trying to save their life. (That’s you and us). That really is all there is to it in the beginning. Don’t let them overthink it. Be like a broken record telling them to ‘say YES’ to accepting help. Tell them they are going to feel better the minute they say ‘Yes, I’ll accept help’ because it’s the truth.