Addiction has a way of making families feel powerless, with siblings, spouses, and parents being unable to help their loved ones as they self-destruct. In a perfect world, relatives would be able to talk to your loved ones, and they would agree to get addiction treatment and enter an alcohol rehab program immediately. Unfortunately, this is not what usually happens with people suffering from alcohol or substance abuse. There will most likely be excuses, lying, denial, and arguments involved. At this point, family members and loved ones usually wonder if they can force alcohol rehab on someone. Can guardians, siblings, spouses, siblings, and parents of someone suffering from a severe alcohol problem have them committed to an alcohol rehab facility against their will? It may seem harsh to most people, but anyone who has dealt with someone with an alcohol abuse problem can understand. You can force someone to go to alcohol rehab to answer the question, but it is practically impossible.
How Can You Do It?
By force, we do not mean physically putting the individual in the car and taking them to the alcohol rehab facility against their will. This is legally referred to as kidnapping. In legal circles, “forcing” a person to go to rehab is called involuntary civil commitment. It is also defined as legal intervention by someone acting in a judicial capacity, like a judge ordering an individual to get supervised outpatient treatment for a specified period if they exhibit symptoms of a severe mental disorder. However, in most cases, alcoholism and addiction do not meet the legal criteria of a severe mental illness. Many people with an alcohol and drug problem usually suffer from co-occurring mental health disorders requiring dual diagnosis treatment. However, most rehab facilities do not have dedicated staff with the required expertise to deal with those issues, making it challenging to manage patients suffering from addiction and co-occurring disorders.
For children under 18 years and suffering from addiction, you can involuntarily take them to alcohol rehab, but once they are older, it becomes more challenging. When they legally become adults, you cannot force them to enter rehab treatment unless the following factors apply to them:
- You must be able to prove the individual has an alcohol or drug abuse problem.
- You must also have proof that the individual has attempted, threatened, or caused harm to others or themselves.
- Their addiction has become so severe that they can no longer provide the basic needs of clothing, shelter, or food for themselves, and no other adult is ready to do so.
If these factors apply, you can seek emergency hospitalization or court-ordered rehabilitation. Different states have varying qualifications, so it is crucial to get legal counsel before using these methods. There are currently 37 states that can allow people to force loved ones into rehabilitation if they meet particular requirements in line with the same ones mentioned above. Based on the state, someone can be held for 48 hours to 15 days before their hearing can occur. In most states, a 2-week involuntary commitment is initiated, and if the individual is considered unable to take care of themselves outside the rehab facility, they are placed in outpatient treatment. If they do not comply with the outpatient treatment, they can be reinstated in an inpatient rehabilitation program.
There are several options to choose from when opting to get someone into alcohol rehab. Even if they do not want to accept help, there are a few ways to make them more receptive to addiction treatment options. You can go ahead with an intervention or forced rehab to give them a chance to choose to help themselves willingly. Alcohol rehab is more successful and effective when the individual is willing to accept the help and take the necessary actions to achieve sobriety. Alcohol and drug addiction can be complex conditions to treat. For recovery to succeed, rehabilitation treatment relies on a strict program that qualified professionals can only deliver at a certified rehab facility.
Some people may feel more comfortable being treated at home, in which case a residential alcohol rehab program may be preferable. Sometimes, staying with loved ones as they undergo addiction treatment can help the process more than forcing someone suffering from alcohol abuse to enter rehab. For addiction treatment to work, the affected person must be somewhat willing to engage in the program.
Convincing a Them To Go To Rehab
Even if you don’t live in a state with an involuntary commitment law for substance abuse treatment or don’t meet the requirements for them to go to rehab, you should still be persistent. You can still convince them to get the help they need using other ways. You can stage an intervention if they are not willing to go to rehab for addiction treatment. A professional interventionist can assist you in staging an intervention to communicate your concerns and convince your loved ones to see that they need to get treatment for their substance abuse. Interventions are very effective techniques that use emotional routes to make addicted loved ones more receptive to assistance.
Interventions do not usually happen as they do on TV, where the person is taken by surprise, or it is used as a shock tactic. A highly qualified professional will be there to let the individual know about their best course of action. Before meeting the person with a substance abuse problem, you can arrange a phone call to guide the individual into the whole process. Whoever organizes the intervention can also meet with the family to get them ready for whatever happens next.
An intervention aims to make the afflicted person utterly aware of how their alcohol or drug abuse has affected their lives and those of their loved ones. It is typically conducted with the affected person, the professional, and family members. They will have a conversation explaining to the person suffering from substance abuse how they have affected loved ones and offer an ideal solution to the problem. If the person accepts the resolution, they agree to enter alcohol rehab or drug rehab to manage their problems and achieve long-term sobriety.
For someone to recover successfully, it will depend on the treatment program, as one program may work for one person but not the other. Ultimately, you cannot force an addict to maintain sobriety, but they will only have the best chance of recovery if they go through a professional rehab treatment program.
