Why drug addicts need to want help rather than being forced

Rehab and Willingness

Compulsory rehabilitation is much more difficult than voluntary rehab. In many cases it is impossible. Court ordered drug rehab is only any good if the individual has at least some willingness to do the program. If there is little to no cooperation on the part of the addict, even if they get off the drugs, they could be right back using again soon afterwards. You can’t really force anyone to do anything. Law enforcement can force someone out of society by locking them up. They do this when a person is deemed a danger to others. They also do this when an individual is a drug addict and is chiefly a danger to themselves. You cannot really coerce someone to get better without sooner or later eliciting their own cooperation. Someone can start rehab and hopefully realize at some point that it’s something they want to do, but on the other hand they can also just “go through the motions,” essentially pretending to do it.

Communication: The “Magic” Ingredient

Dealing with an alcoholic or drug addict can be quite difficult. One primary reason for this is that the same forces that hold the addiction in place are the same forces that they use to convince themselves and others that they “don’t have a problem” or “have it under control.” They will lie with great abandon – not because they are “bad”; it’s just how they’ve grown accustomed to dealing with things. The question then is how to take that brick wall down. Some try to knock it down with brute force. You can speak bluntly to an addict or alcoholic and this may or may not work. If there is enough truth in the statement, it might impinge upon them. More often however, it requires removal of each brick one at a time. It takes some real communication – talking with someone instead of at them. You can try the approach of reasoning with them, but don’t expect they’ll agree with you on everything right away.

One thing to understand is that a long-term drug addict or alcoholic has probably tried to quit a number of times on their own. They could have gotten clean before and relapsed. They may have been through rehab several times and relapsed each time. So realize what you are up against; do not assume you know the whole story. If you can get them talking about it, you are making inroads.

Medical Detoxification

Another significant barrier is the fact of physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms. Suddenly stopping a drug can cause severe symptom. In the case of alcohol, opiates, benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety drugs), and other drugs, sudden cessation can induce seizure, coma, and can even be lethal. That is why medical detoxification is so vital. Medical detox is a careful and precise process using specific medications to treat chemical addiction while considerably reducing the pain and discomfort of withdrawal. Utmost care must be taken to ensure the safety of the patient. When an addict learns about safe detox techniques, they tend to see ray of hope where they had not before.

Underlying Causes

When you talk to an addict, don’t be surprised to receive a fair dose of cynicism. Even this can be broken down when you start discussing their motivations. Any addict or alcoholic has some deep-seated issues. You will not be able to get at all of them, but you can dredge up just enough of them. It is at this point that you want to illustrate to them there may be other means of dealing with these issues. Will they believe this? Maybe not, but you’ve got to at least put the idea on the table.

Let’s say a man has trouble with his father. This has been going on his whole life. They rarely speak to each other and when they do it’s explosive. How does this man deal with this situation when it arises? He drinks. That’s how he deals with most of his problems. Can you convince this man that there could be better ways of dealing with the problem? Let us hope so – for his sake and yours. You also don’t have to go it alone. You can contact a rehab specialist at Best Drug Rehabilitation – someone with plenty of experience in the area.

Holistic Rehabilitation

After medical detox, the answer is holistic rehabilitation. This is the system that utilizes a number of different methodologies to deal with the deep-rooted causes of addiction. Holistic means “whole” and takes a multi-pronged approach that addresses body, mind, and spirit. Contact an addiction specialist at Best Drug Rehabilitation for more details.