More than 6 million people in Canada today could benefit from substance abuse rehabilitation services. Unfortunately, over half of those people haven’t sought expert health assistance. This issue is typically attributable to a lack of belief that they have any serious medical condition that may need medical intervention. Such people need someone to take the initiative to send them to drug rehab.

Due to being unable to realize a problem, they can’t abstain from drugs or alcohol on their own. Therefore, recognizing that drug addiction is an illness can help you help a loved one who is struggling with the sickness.

To what extent, then, can you expect to communicate with them? Is there a way to persuade an addict to enter a treatment centre? How do I get a loved one into rehab? Can you even pull this off?

Here, we’ll give you a guide to getting help for a loved one who is in an addiction crisis and needs rehab. So dive in, shall we?

Backlashes of Substance Use Disorders

Drugs can dramatically alter a person’s priorities, thought processes, and behaviour. In other words, they seize power. As a result, they impede one’s capacity for clear perception and sound judgment.

You can worry that your loved one doesn’t value you or their life if they refuse to enter rehab. But you need to realize that your loved one’s current outlook, actions, and expressions aren’t intentional. They’re generally beyond their control, especially when under the active influence of those substances.

You should learn about the immediate and distant consequences of substance addiction if you care about someone dependent on drugs or alcohol. With this information in hand, they won’t be able to blind you into disinterest in how critical their condition is.

You can use this information to persuade or send someone to drug rehab. In addition, people are more inclined to take you seriously when you present yourself as knowledgeable.

Substance abuse has devastating effects on a person’s mental health and can lead to physical damage that worsens over time. In order to improve your chances of assisting a loved one struggling with substance abuse, it’s crucial to understand how various substances impact the body and mind.

To revitalize their life, most people who are actively addicted will need to seek out professional treatment. The following are some of the substances your loved one(s) may be abusing and need to get addiction help for recovery.

1. Alcohol

There is a threshold beyond which alcoholism becomes more detectable than other substance use problems. However, by then, it’s usually too late. In addition, the widespread acceptance of alcohol consumption makes it way easier for those struggling with alcoholism to conceal their condition, especially from those staying far from them.

But as a loved one, you need to look out for some things in the people you love. You need to observe your loved one for the following symptoms:

• Do they get consumed by alcohol till they pass out?
• Do they have blackouts?
• Do they engage in risky activity?
• Do they have school, work, or social problems that they didn’t before?

If a loved one has conditions that affirm these questions, you need to be worried.

The brain and liver will suffer the most damage over the long run. Alcohol causes tissue contraction in the brain and cell death in the brain. In addition, it has proven to raise one’s risk of developing numerous cancers substantially.

2. Heroin

Heroin is another drug that may require having to send someone to drug rehab in Vancouver if they’re addicted to it.

Heroin’s rapid effects on the brain and central nervous system make it a deadly narcotic. Signs of heroin abuse include the following:

• A constant need to blow one’s nose.
• The presence of track marks.
• A loss of appetite and severe weight loss.
• Lethargy
• Extreme mood swings.
• Presence of drug paraphernalia, including tin foil, bags of brown powder, needles, and glass pipes.

Addiction to this lethal medication occurs after only a few days of consistent use. This reaction manipulates a specific brain region into thinking the body needs it.

Long-term usage is associated with a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including:

•  Isolation and depression.
• Impaired cognitive function.
• Increased risk of car accidents.
• A lowered lifespan.

3. Methamphetamine

You need to send someone using meth to drug rehab as soon as possible. Meth is one of the deadliest drugs because of its rapid and severe effects on the body and the psyche.

Some of the indicators that someone you love may be abusing meth include the following:

• Extreme weight loss
• Hyperactivity
• Twitching,
• Insomnia
•  Burns on the lips and fingers

Drug bags and glass pipes containing crystalline powder are examples of paraphernalia to check for in a meth abuser.

Meanwhile, some of the terrible outcomes associated with long-term meth consumption include:

• Heart disease
• Rotten teeth
• Liver failure
• Renal failure
• High blood pressure
• Rapid aging
• Paranoia
• Delusions
• Despair and memory loss.

4. Prescription Drugs

Prescription pain relievers like hydrocodone and oxycodone and sedatives like barbiturates, benzodiazepines, diazepam and zopiclone are among Canada’s most frequently misused drugs. You need to send someone abusing them to a drug rehab fast.

Alcohol increases the potency of these substances. Red signs include the following actions:

• Requesting or stealing medication
• Withdrawing from friends and family
• Carrying empty blister packs or pill bottles.

Problems in personal relationships and the workplace are only some side effects of chronic prescription drug usage. Also, an addict here can experience severe conditions such as liver damage, memory loss, respiratory problems, and heart disease.

5. Cocaine (and crack)

Cocaine is one of the most famous of all abused drugs. You may have to make someone go to rehab if you notice they’re addicted to it.

Due to the surge in neurotransmitters from cocaine and crack, users often report increased confidence, sociability, and the need to communicate. In addition, crack cocaine, unlike its unprocessed counterpart, is more potent and has a shorter half-life.

You may notice the following symptoms of addiction in a loved one abusing cocaine/crack.

• Anxiety
• Excessive and unrestrained speech
• Absurd jaw movements
• The presence of glass pipes
• Brown boulders
• White powder
• The need to use the restroom frequently

Frequent usage of this type of stimulant puts a tremendous strain on the heart. Possible long-term complications also include:

• Liver, lung, and kidney damage
• Severe tooth decay
• Starvation
• Insanity
• Respiratory failure
• Reproductive harm

Related Article: How Long is Inpatient Drug Rehab in Canada?

Convincing Someone to Go to Rehab

It may be challenging to make someone go to rehab. However, this is possible in many situations. You can successfully send someone you love to drug rehab if you approach the situation with empathy and a plan.

See the following guidelines:

1. Make an Effort To Equip Yourself with the Needed Knowledge

Before broaching the subject with a loved one who may need rehab, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with the intricacies of drug usage and addiction. To make the most of this discussion, you need to arm yourself with information.

First, you should be aware of the symptoms of drug usage. Having these items checked off can strengthen your drug rehab pleas and suggestions.

Furthermore, get educated about the perils of substance usage and addiction. Learn as much as possible by reading books, consulting with addiction professionals, and attending local support meetings.

By doing so, you’ll be prepared to manage the conversation and answer any questions your loved one may have. Recognizing addiction as an illness and learning about the mental effects of addiction is crucial. It’ll help you approach the subject of rehabilitation with more knowledge and compassion.

Knowing what to expect from a rehabilitation programme and researching the various options available may be helpful while attempting to overcome an addiction. You could ease your loved one’s anxiety about going there, or at least you could allay their doubts.

No matter how much you learn about addiction, your loved one may resist your efforts to help them. Instead, they may tell you that you’re overreacting or missing important details.

To lessen the impact of this reaction, you could preface your talk by letting them understand your ignorance of their actual relationship with drugs. Then follow that up with a confident explanation of your observations of them in relation to your substantial knowledge about drug addiction. And end it with the fact that that’s why you’re worried for them.

2. Plan Intervention

Staging an intervention may be the best option if you’re having trouble sending someone to drug rehab. This position implies that you and your loved ones will sit down with your friend or family member abusing substances. Then you’ll explain the harm that has come to both parties due to their habit.

Many addicts don’t realize how their substance abuse affects their loved ones. And this is a significant factor that can make them eventually decide to embark on drug addiction treatment in Vancouver.

It’s crucial to prepare for intervention in advance. First, identify a time when your loved one will be sober and more receptive. Then, plan an after-intervention strategy with the help of an addiction professional at the rehabilitation facility.

Ensure you have a place in therapy, money, and a packed bag. If the intervention is successful, you’ll want to get your loved one into care as soon as possible.

If your loved one continues to refuse medical attention, you should also consider the potential repercussions. Ensure your loved one understands the consequences of saying “no” to rehabilitation. They won’t be able to spend time with their family, including their cousins, nephews, and nieces.

You both should agree that you won’t longer contribute to their rent. If the intervention fails, then you must carry out these predetermined consequences. Addicts may also reach a turning point due to experiencing these repercussions.

3. Display an Open Mind and Exhibit Positivity

It’s important to maintain composure and empathy while you initiate the intervention. It doesn’t matter how much your loved one’s addiction has wounded you or how furious you may be right now. It’s best to keep those emotions out of the intervention.

Feelings like these won’t help them see the light or make them desire to make any changes. So instead, tell them you love them and are trying to help by intervening.

Let your loved one know that getting into rehab is how best to get their lives back on track. Tell them how much their safety is of paramount importance to you. You should tell them they are loved and that they aren’t alone.

Nevertheless, it’s essential to convey how much your loved one’s addiction has affected you. Use “I” words like, “I’m frightened for you,” “I feel hurt,” and “I’d love to help, but I’m confused as to how,” rather than “you” or words that imply guilt.

Be a good listener as well as a good speaker. Your loved one has to feel heard and understood for the talk to go anywhere. Discover other methods for intervening in a problematic situation.

4. Think About Getting Some Expert Help

Here’s another subtle intervention to send someone to drug rehab. Interventions conducted by trained professionals have proven to be successful. You’ll find such experts in addiction therapy centres.

They’ll have the ability to steer the discussion in a beneficial direction. Someone like this can also make getting your loved one into a treatment facility easier after an intervention.

5. Don’t Wait For Things to Escalate

“Rock bottom” means an overdose. Therefore, waiting for someone to “reach rock bottom” before trying to send them to drug rehab can have lethal or mortal consequences.

Don’t wait for a loved one’s life to be completely devastated before taking action. Instead, take action immediately if you think a family or friend has a substance misuse problem. Long-term drug usage is a progressive disease. And it increases a person’s chance of death from addiction.

Should You Force Someone to Go to Rehab?

Despite your subtle approaches, your loved one may be unresponsive or not ready to quit using drugs. But you shouldn’t give up. There are still methods to get them the support they need. If someone refuses help for an addiction, you have some legal liberty to force them to rehab in Canada.

A person in legal difficulty or poses an imminent danger to themself or others may be subject to involuntary commitment, often known as court-ordered rehab.

Your loved one can still benefit from assistance even if resistant to it. It’s a prevalent misconception that addicts need to want to stop using drugs to succeed in recovery. Unfortunately, many people who enter treatment initially resist it.

Their demeanour is tentative, cold, and distrustful. However, these defences eventually weaken and collapse. Impressively, the success rates of those who attend treatment against their will are said to be sometimes better than those who do so voluntarily.

Try talking to your loved one before considering involuntary enrollment tactics or threatening to force them into treatment. Instead, try to persuade your loved one that drug abuse is harmful and that getting help is the best option.

Sending someone to drug rehab is most successful when the helper has already established rapport based on empathy, trust, and support.

Helping Someone Who’s Asked For Help Into Rehab

Sometimes, there’s the case where a loved one comes clean about their problems with substance misuse and solicits your support. It’s a big deal for someone who’s seriously considering getting sober, even if it only seems like a baby step now.

It’s best to be as level-headed as possible and approach the conversation with an open mind.

Addiction is a severe illness that usually requires expert assistance. Therefore, realizing that you probably can’t help this person alone is equally crucial. Don’t be shy about seeking help from professionals like therapists, doctors, or drug rehab centres.

Make yourself available to help your loved one find treatment choices. This availability may mean researching facilities, making phone calls, or accompanying them to appointments with doctors or therapists.

Those mired in addiction may fear breaking free since it represents a step into the unknown. Your loved one’s likelihood of succeeding in receiving professional drug addiction treatment in Vancouver increases if you support and encourage them during this period.

Related Article: Alcohol Recovery Treatment & Ideas 2022

Summary

Knowing what to do when a loved one is battling drug addiction can be challenging. But sending someone to drug rehab is one way we know to help. And we’ve explained practical ways to do so in previous sections.

Now you know how to get a loved one into rehab. But it doesn’t end at just getting addiction help for your loved ones. You need to get the best rehab treatment for them. And we provide such top-notch addiction treatment.

Inspire Change Wellness Centre is a recovery center in Vancouver, Canada that offers specialized addiction help for your friends and loved ones.

Need help with a loved one? Contact our top-rated professionals via 1 (888) 508-9802 today.