Handling Common Objections to Addiction Treatment During Intervention
When a person reaches the point when they need addiction treatment, it helps to have a family and/or support system in place. Often, intervention becomes necessary for the person to realize they have a problem. However, for a person to truly get help for their addiction, they have to be open to it. There are several common objections to addiction treatment that we see regularly. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to ease the uncertainty surrounding treatment and get help.
Being Fully Informed
It’s important to do your research before having an intervention with a loved one. Doing your research can mean everything from educating yourself on their particular addiction to finding local treatment options. This may also include learning about the different treatment forms and what might be best for the individual. This can certainly be done by looking things up on the internet. But for many people, calling a treatment center for recommendations is the most beneficial. This is because you will be able to answer your questions and have a plan in place. Often, treatment centers have relationships with certified interv3entionists or will give you tips to help guide you along the way.
When you know your facts about possible treatment options, it takes away a lot of uncertainty that your loved one may have about it. This uncertainty can also be remedied by developing a strong plan for the intervention going into it. You must coordinate a time and place, decide which family members and friends will be included, and, again, prepare for any objections to addiction treatment they might have. It can also be beneficial to hire a licensed professional at moderating the intervention, either a licensed psychologist or an interventionist. [1]
By having a professional involved and/or learning the facts about your loved one’s addiction, you are better prepared to respond if/when they say something along the lines of, “I don’t need treatment,” or, “I’m not actually addicted.” By providing them with concrete facts about their specific addiction and proving to them that they show all the signs, it can be hard for them to deny that they have a problem.
Handle the Logistics and Handle the Common Objections to Addiction Treatment
Some of the most common objections that people have to getting treatment are logistical. These include the fact that they could not afford childcare or treatment itself. Or perhaps they’re afraid that they would not be able to get off work without losing their job. It’s important to prepare possible answers for these objections by doing things such as finding out what portion of treatment their insurance would cover or finding family members and friends who have already offered to help take care of their children. In addition, it is, in fact, illegal for an employer to fire a person for getting addiction treatment.
Financial reasons are often hard to navigate. But it is important to remind your loved ones that the costs of their addiction will severely outweigh the cost of treatment and the expenses surrounding it. Remind them that their wellbeing is well worth any price, and if possible, that you and their other loved ones are willing to help.
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Coming From a Place of Love
As discussed in the video above, the most important part of an intervention is to remind your loved ones that you are all there because you love them. You will be there to love them through every step of the treatment process. In many interventions, the person with the addiction feels cornered, judged, and ashamed. This can be very isolating for the person and cause them to cut out their loved ones and succumb to the urge to binge or use. Of course, the is the opposite of the intended effect of an intervention.
Remind your loved one that the people in the room are there to support and help them. You can also include that their actions have hurt the people who love them. This isn’t done to shame them. Instead, this is a helpful response to the “I don’t need treatment” mindset. Since, of course, no one wants to hurt the people they love.
By going into an intervention with a plan in place and some prepared answers for questions your loved one might have, you can go into it feeling ready to respond to any objections that might come up. Remember, it is common and even expected for your loved one to react with anger or sadness to an intervention. Still, it is necessary to get past this stage to accept the changes they need to make and move forward with recovery. More than anything, remind them that they deserve a better life. And remind them that you and their other loved ones will be there to love them through it.
Be Prepared for the Objections to Addiction Treatment With Help from Clear Life Recovery
At Clear Life Recovery, our goal is to help your loved ones start this better life and help them heal. If you think you or someone you know may require addiction treatment, we would love to help you – contact us today.
Sources:
[1] Ratini, Melinda. “Intervention for Substance Abuse: What Is It?” WebMD, WebMD, 8 Nov. 2019, www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/intervention-substance-misuse.
