How To Encourage Your Loved One To Get Treatment For Their Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is one of the biggest health crises in America, with millions of people currently struggling with hard drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, to name a few. Often, it is hard to seek treatment when suffering from this problem because you don't actually recognize how serious the issue is. That is why it is so important for the friends and family of those struggling with substance abuse to speak up and help their loved ones get some much-needed professional help. Here are a few ways you can brooch the subject in a gentle but affirming manner.

Establishing The Problem

Before you talk to your loved one about their substance abuse, it is important that you make sure that you are not overreacting. Of course, you are coming from a good place, but sometimes people can misread situations. That is why it is vital that, before you take these steps to talk to the person at the heart of this issue, you talk to other family members and friends to see what they think. If they agree, then it is best you do this all together. That gives it a lot more gravity and authority, and will hopefully lead to a better, more immediate result.

Find The Right Time

There is no use bringing up someone else's substance abuse in the heat of an argument or while they are still high. This will only further create a barrier between you and can lead to them retreating even more. The best time to talk about substance abuse is at a designated time where you two or three can meet up with no ill intentions or bad blood still brewing in the background. If they feel as if you are trying to settle a score or feel superior to them due to a recent argument, this will not work.

Have Options Available To Them

A big mistake people make when talking to their loved one about substance abuse is having no immediate options for them to take up if they agree with you. Prepare for the best by doing some research and finding some substance abuse treatment centers or health care professionals who could help out right away. You should always strike while the iron is hot before this motivation leaves them and you and you slip back into old habits. Don't initiate any sort of talk with them if you don't have a solution to point them towards.