No More Excuses: Now Is The Time For Drug Treatment

By Dell Jacobson

Are you trying to help your family member with a drug abuse problem? If so, you need to understand that family members hardly ever succeed. Unfortunately, family members are usually the least influential people when it comes to convincing a loved one to get help for drugs. As a family member, you do not have the professional expertise to provide drug treatment for your loved one.

Even if you did, you could not keep him clean and sober. Take a look at this article so that you can understand that it is okay to get your loved one professional drug treatment. You are not giving up, you are getting him the help he needs.

Because your loved one is addicted to drugs, he is very likely not going to be mentally competent. The drugs are in his system and he is likely showing signs of depression and/or anxiety. He is not going to listen to the pleas of a family member for treatment.

Frankly, as a family member, you are likely to make matters worse by causing verbal arguments and, perhaps, even physical abuse. In fact, your efforts are likely to lead him deeper into despair and make treatment even more unlikely. Drug treatment is not a "do it yourself project."

It take a team of medical and mental health professionals with years of academic and actual training to coax an addict into drug treatment and keep him there.

The mental health and medical professional employed by the drug treatment center will not hesitate to confront your loved one (in a non threatening way) about his drug addiction. They have the ability to coax him into treatment. More importantly, they have the skills and training necessary to diagnose and treat the underlying cause of the drug addiction.

When your loved one confronts the underlying causes of his addiction, he can begin the process of long term recovery that will last even after he is discharged from the drug rehab center.

The aftercare portion of the drug rehabilitation treatment is, by far, the most important part of the program. This is also where many family members undo the progress made during inpatient drug treatment. As such, the addict must continue to be active in a support group and undergo individual therapy.

Each of these tools provide the recovering addict with a source of understanding, accountability and communication. The stress associated with returning home after treatment is usually the area that is most discussed during these two forms of therapy.

Now you understand why your family member needs professional drug treatment. Family members simply do not understand that they do not have the training to help their loved ones with drug addiction.

Instead, you need to defer to drug treatment professionals with the training and expertise to confront your loved one about his drug addiction; and, uncover the underlying cause of his substance abuse. More importantly, you need individual and group therapy to give your loved one a group of like minded individuals to support him and hold him accountable when he returns home. So, you need to stop thinking that you can do this alone. Instead, love the addict and leave the treatment to the professionals. - 30540

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