How To Convince a Friend To Get Addiction Treatment

Seeing a friend or a loved one struggle with addiction is hard. If he or she means that much to you, you can help him or her recover and have a normal life again by convincing them to get treatment. This is the best thing you can do. Remember that lives are on the line here so you must tackle this as much as possible. Here are the steps that you can take to convince your friend to ask for rehabilitation:

1. Find out more about addiction and treatments.

First of all, make sure that you are 100% positive that your friend is struggling with addiction. This is by knowing the symptoms of severe addiction and the types of treatments that he or she can undergo. You can research online or ask an expert. You’ll be able to ask for advice on how you could reach out and handle any type of situation that may arise. Equip yourself with every possible information that could back you up during this journey.

2. Gain your friend’s trust.

It is crucial to make your friend fully trust you. This way, he or she will be able to listen to you, whatever you may suggest. This is also a way to make them open up to you more about their struggles and what might have started their addiction. Knowing all of these is vital for his or her treatments and therapies in the future. You can also slowly persuade him or her in minimizing substance abuse, either drug, alcohol, or others.

3. Make yourself available at all times.

On top of just struggling with substance abuse, people dealing with addiction are also likely to have mental health problems. This might push them to harm themselves or do dangerous things. Always make yourself available to them in case they need your presence. Make them feel like they can call you anytime. 

4. Try to be more sensitive as much as possible.

It is important to avoid making them feel like a burden or like you are judging them. These are the reasons why they just tend to shut everyone out and decide to handle their situation alone. Let them know that you understand them completely and that you are willing to help and know more about their condition.

5. Slowly incorporate the idea of treatment.

Once you’ve already felt like your friend fully trusts you, bring up, as subtle as possible, the idea of getting addiction treatment. You can reason out by telling him or her that there are people concerned and wants him or her to be in better condition again. You can also explain how addiction is what caused his or her struggles that also affect their loved ones. Explain this as calmly as possible. Show her how addiction treatment can make her life better again.

6. Always be patient.

Expect that your friend will ignore or turn down the conversation about rehabilitation. If this happens, do not get discouraged and give up easily. Try bringing it up again another time. Slowly make him or her realize how important it is for his or her life and the lives of the people close to them.

7. Get help.

As you go through this journey to help your friend get to recovery, make sure that you are also seeking help for yourself. If the situation gets tough, you can always ask for assistance from medical professionals so they’ll be able to advise you on what you should with your friend’s case. Aside from this, seeking assistance for your sanity and mental health is also important to help you keep going and to prevent you from having struggles of your own.

At the end of the day, you only want what’s best for your friend. You can find an addiction treatment centre near you that could provide all your friend’s needs for his or her recovery. Again, do not hesitate to seek help for yourself as this process might take a toll on you.