Have you noticed a change in someone you care about? It may have started slow and has gradually worsened.
Do you notice weight loss or extreme mood swings? Maybe you have a general sense of distress, but don't know why.
Perhaps you suspect substance abuse but don't have any concrete evidence.
Approaching someone you care about who you suspect is abusing drugs is a difficult process.
You don't want to be wrong and make a false accusation, and if your suspicions are indeed true, you don't want to anger them and push them further into addiction and away from you.
In these situations, seeking professional help from a drug rehab facility is the wisest course of action.
The first step in the path to sobriety for your loved one will oftentimes be an intervention.
For those unfamiliar with the term, an intervention is a lifesaving process designed to convince an addict that they need to seek help for their addictions.
Interventions are comprised of the people closest to the chemically dependent person.
At the intervention, family and friends will read personal statements to the subject in order to show them how their actions affect other people.
A rehabilitation facility will provide your intervention team with pre-intervention counseling.
This is essential, so that those involved with the intervention can get on the same page and learn to be non-judgmental and emotionally supportive, while still being clear and direct.
It is essential that the chemically dependent subject doesn't feel threatened and judged, but rather loved.
Ultimately, the goal is for them to choose drug rehab for themselves.
While you can host an intervention without a professional's guidance, it is not recommended, especially if you want the process to be successful.
At the conclusion of the intervention, hopefully the subject has chosen to enter a program.
The intensity of the programs will vary depending on how serious their problem with substances is.
They will either attend a residential program or an outpatient program.
Residential programs will require full time on-site housing.
Patients will be required to attend therapy sessions among other in-house programs.
The amount of time these programs last also varies based on location and circumstances.
For example, if you are self-admitted you can leave at any time.
However, if you are court ordered to be in drug rehab, you will have to stay for the term of your sentence.
Outpatient programs allow the patients to go home and sleep in their own beds at night.
They are essentially just attending twelve-step program meetings if their particular outpatient program is not intensive.
Intensive outpatient programs require daily meetings with groups and counselors.
The intensity of these programs will also vary based on provider and the needs of the patient.
Addiction is a serious disease that should not be ignored.
The longer an addiction is allowed to continue, the harder it will be to quit.
It is important to remember that those who suffer from addiction need your love, support, and non-judgment, but they also need you to be firm and direct if they have any chance of getting clean.
If you suspect someone you love has a problem abusing substances, get in touch with a drug rehab center and work from there.