Many
people who struggle with alcohol or drugs have a difficult time
getting better. There are many reasons why these people do not get
the help they need to get better. Many family members who see their
loved ones struggle have a very difficult time in getting their
loved ones assistance. Here are six suggestions on how to convince
a person struggling with alcohol or drugs to get the help they need
to get better.
1. Family
Intervention
The most popular
way to get someone the help they need is to do a family intervention.
This is when family members and an interventionist get together
with the addict to tell them how they love them and wish that they
get help to get better. Each family member takes a turn and tells
the person how special they are and that they need to get help.
The person who is struggling listens and hopefully they become convinced
to get the help they need.
2. Talk
To The Person On What Will Happen If They Do Not Get Help
Another way
to convince the person who is struggling with alcohol or drugs is
to get someone who is an expert on addiction and have them do a
one on one talk with this person. This expert on addiction should
explain to the addict what will happen if they do not get the help
they need to get better. Basically, the expert should warn the person
of the dire consequences of what will happen if they do not change
their ways. The expert should be vivid as possible and hold nothing
back. The goal is to convince the person to get help or they will
suffer and eventually their life will slowly come to an end.
3. Use
The Services of A Professional Or A Former Addict
Try to find
a professional or even a former addict who has “Been There”
to talk to the person. This is similar to Step Two, however instead
of warning the person, these professionals can use their skills
to talk and try to reason with the person. These experts are usually
trained and can use a proactive approach into trying to convince
the addict to get help. The goal is to try to reason and talk with
the person so they can get professional help.
4. Find
Out The Reasons Why The Person Won’t Get Help
Many people
overlook this suggestion. Ask the person who is struggling with
alcohol or drugs to list 3 reasons why they will not get help. At
first, they will say all kinds of things, but continue to engage
the person and get the 3 main reasons why they refuse to get help.
It might take a couple of tries but listen to what they say. Once
you get the answers, WRITE them down on a piece of paper. Note:
Fear and Frustration are huge factors for the person not getting
help.
5. Determine
The Solutions To Those Barriers
Once you get
those 3 reasons, get a professional or an expert to find the solutions
to those issues. For example, the person says that they will not
get help because they tried a few times and they failed and that
they will fail again. Ask a few addiction professionals to find
a solution to this issue that will help the addict overcome this
barrier. One good answer to this example is the following: “Yes,
you tried to get better and failed however this time we will do
things differently. We will keep a daily diary of everything you
do and you or someone else will document what you do each day. If
you stumble or fail you will write down your feelings at the time
and why you failed. When you recover from a bad episode you can
READ your diary and find out what went wrong. Once you know what
went wrong you will know why you failed and will find a way to prevent
this from happening again.”
Use your list
from step three and list every positive thing that will counter
those barriers. When you are finished, present this to the person
who is struggling and explain what you came up with. This will help
reduce the person’s fears and anxieties and may convince them
to get help. Developing a plan to counter their reasons of not getting
help will go a long way.
6. Talk
to the Person Instead of Talking At Them
Nobody wants
to be lectured. Be honest with them and tell them that it will require
some hard work on their part but that they can get better. If they
don't get help, they will suffer. The person who is struggling is
scared and they need help in overcoming their fears and resistance
to getting help. Remember to find out those fears, address possible
solutions to those fears, and you will have a better chance of getting
through to that person. Hopefully, sooner or later, you will be
able to get through to the person. The key is to be persistent.
Be very persistent. Also, it would help to have everybody pray for
that person. Involving God in your current situation can sometimes
produce unexpected results.
BIOGRAPHY:
Stan Popovich
is the author of "A Layman's Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology,
Christianity and Non Resistant Methods" - an easy to read book
that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective
in managing persistent fears and anxieties.
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