Why won’t my loved one go to treatment?

11 Oct Why won’t my loved one go to treatment?

It’s the question every caller asks.   Call after call I hear the same thing….”I can’t get my kid to go to treatment.  They refuse.”  “I have tried everything”.  The reality is that no one wakes up and says – today’s a great day to go to treatment for my opiate addiction.  People only make the decision to go to treatment when they feel enough pain.  Think about it… have you ever changed something in your own life?  Lost weight?  I bet you started dieting and going to the gym when you felt upset at the way you looked, you were out of breath walking to the bathroom or you could no longer find clothes that fit.  Something happened to make you feel uncomfortable and want to change.  It is the same thing with addiction – people don’t stop because they want to or the feel good.  The stop because they feel awful and want to change or have lost or are about to lose something they love or cherish.  Unfortunately, with drug addiction and alcohol addiction, that can often be jail, loss of family or worse yet, death.  Over 70,000 people die each year from drug overdoses.  And that is why people call – because interventions for addiction can be very powerful and are generally very successful.  Yes – Interventions are scary.  Yes – interventions cost money.  But remember – it is never too late to intervene…. and it is never too early to intervene.  With a properly orchestrated intervention, using the guidance of a professional with specific training, families can end addiction and begin the road to recovery.