Have you spent the past few months or years wondering how your son could go from an innocent child to being someone with a serious drug problem. Addiction does not discriminate, and you should first know that having a son who is addicted to drugs doesn’t mean that you’ve done anything wrong. People develop addictions for a variety of reasons. Your son might have picked up their first drug habit in high school when they gave in to peer pressure, or they may have started using drugs to cope with a traumatic experience. Whatever the reason is for your son’s addiction doesn’t matter right now. They’ll learn how to address the underlying causes of their addiction in rehab, but you must first help them figure out how to get there. Knowing what to do with a drug addicted son starts by remembering that you aren’t alone. There are professional addiction treatment centers that are filled with people who can help you get your son sober.
You might have heard the term “tough love” before, and this is the time to start practicing it. If you’ve been giving your son money when he asks for it, then you may need to stop. Although you may be trying to be helpful, it is possible that he uses this money to feed his addiction. You may also need to take steps to protect yourself from harm. If he gets violent or verbally abusive, then you may need to tell him to find somewhere else to live or to stop visiting when he is under the influence of drugs. Once you’ve set up some boundaries, you’ll be in a better position to take action to help him choose to seek addiction treatment.
Help Your Son Start the Process of Recovery
You’ve got several options that you can offer your son to help him start recovering from his addiction. These include the following forms of help:
- attending voluntary inpatient treatment
- going to outpatient treatment
- being enrolled in a program involuntarily through the Marchman Act
Parents often wonder if they can force their adult child to go to rehab. Addiction treatment works best when the person buys in to the program, but there are times when you may need to force the issue. The Marchman Act allows Florida family members and other people who meet the requirements to seek involuntary admission to a treatment program for a loved one. Keep in mind that this request is usually only granted to people in dire situations. Your son’s drug addiction may need to be a threat to himself or to others before a court will rule on an involuntary admission.
If possible, it is best to try to get your son to see the importance of seeking help. You can do this by asking other people in his life to work with you on holding an intervention. During an intervention, your son will see just how much his actions are affecting the people that he cares about in his life. This is often an emotionally moving meeting that can lead to immediate results. Be prepared by having information ready to help your son enroll in a program right away if he agrees to it during the intervention.
In some cases, it takes more than one conversation to talk someone into going to rehab. To avoid sounding like a broken record, be prepared to say something new about a potential treatment program. For example, you might mention that the one you found is located in Florida where the weather is beautiful for recovery. Or, you might mention to your son that he can stay in a private or semi-private room while he seeks treatment. Talking about what it is like in a rehab can help your son begin to picture himself living there. This method helps to eliminate anxiety about going to treatment that could be serving as a barrier to your son getting help. Finally, remember that addiction recovery is a long-term process. Your son will need your support while they are in treatment and when they get out. Reassuring him that you’ll be there every step of the way can give him the courage to agree to attend a treatment program.
Have you been wondering how to help your son for far too long? We’ve got the resources you need to help your son complete his journey to recovery. Give us a call today at 833-846-5669 to start discussing the best treatment program for your son.