You’ve seen the situation played out on television multiple times. The user is invited over for dinner and walks into a room filled with his loved ones and a well-dressed stranger. Suddenly what he thought was a nice family get together has morphed into the dreaded “intervention.”
“We’re all so concerned about you,” his loving mother says with tears in her eyes. She proceeds to coerce her son into agreeing to rehab. “Do it for me, son!”
On television this may work well, with the user signing on the dotted line for the help he needs. In the real world, tricking someone into rehab in this way, or in any other way, may not work quite so well. No matter how concerned you are about the individual in your life who is struggling with addiction, avoid the temptation to play the role of trickster.
Be Clear in Your Intentions
You may need to be creative in finding a way to get your loved one to speak with you about addiction, and staging that intervention can be effective, but make sure you are clear in your concern. Clearly state your concern and your desire to help, rather than trying to sugar coat the issue and trick them into agreeing to help.
Get an Admission from the User
One of the reasons tricking people into recovery programs is not a good idea is because it doesn’t work. Breaking the cycle of addiction is challenging, no matter who the user is, but if you trick someone to sign up for rehab, he is going to fight the process even further.
In other words, without an admission to the problem from the user, the treatment is likely to fail. Rather than focusing on tricking your loved one into signing up for help, focus on getting him to admit to the problem.
Focus on How it Helps Them
In the end, users who successfully complete rehab and avoid relapse are those who decide to make the change for themes. With all that the user must give up in order to get help, the ultimate decision has to be internal.
Instead of trying to guilt trip your loved one into seeking treatment, focus on the gains. Remind him of what he is losing because of his addiction, and what he stands to gain if he can get help. This can create a shift in attitude that will create a willingness to seek rehab and a desire to succeed in it.
Get Help Today
If you want true change and recovery, then tricking them won’t work. Instead, talk to an addiction professional about tactics you can use to create that personal acceptance and responsibility, so the addiction recovery will be complete.