How to Handle a Loved One Who Refuses Help After an Intervention

If your loved one struggles with addiction, you are not alone. According to the Pew Research Center, “46% of U.S. adults say they have a family member or close friend who is addicted to drugs or has been in the past. “[1]

Watching your loved one suffer from a substance use disorder is never easy. It’s even harder when they continue to refuse help after repeated pleas from the family. If you’ve tried to host an intervention only for your loved one to refuse treatment, you might find yourself frustrated, angry, and scared for their health.

Sometimes, people suffering from addiction are simply not ready to recover. While interventions can be successful in many cases, they don’t always work. Your loved one might refuse help after an intervention for many reasons, including fears of coping with life without substances.

If your loved one refuses to attend treatment after an intervention, there are a few things you should do. First, you need to make sure you stick to the boundaries and consequences you set during the intervention. Additionally, you could continue offering them treatment when they reach out to you, try another intervention with professional help, consider involuntary treatment, and find help for yourself.

In this article, you will learn:

• Why are some interventions not successful?
• What to do when your loved one refuses treatment after an intervention
• When is involuntary commitment the answer?

Why is Your Loved One Refusing to Go to Rehab After an Intervention?

Sometimes, interventions are not successful. In other words, there is no guarantee that your loved one will accept help at the end of the intervention. If your loved one refuses to attend substance abuse treatment, you might find yourself wondering why.

Some of the reasons your loved one might refuse help include:

• Fear of living life without the numbing effects of drugs and alcohol
• Being worried about experiencing withdrawal
• Co-occurring mental health conditions are complicating your loved one’s ability to think rationally
• Your loved one does not believe they will experience consequences for avoiding treatment
• They simply are not ready to accept help or make a change in their life

Interventions also fail when they are not done correctly. If you tried to host an intervention without professional help, that could contribute to your loved one’s refusal of treatment. To explain, professionals make it easier to plan the intervention effectively and decrease the likelihood of intense arguments breaking out during the process.

What to Do When Your Loved One Refuses to Get Help After an Intervention

If your loved one refuses to go to an addiction treatment program after an intervention, there are a few things you should do. While it can be emotionally devastating to come to terms with the fact that your loved one is not receiving help, it’s time to focus on sticking to your boundaries, taking care of yourself, and considering your options.

When your loved one refuses to seek treatment after an intervention, you should:

Stick to Your Boundaries

During the intervention you hosted, you were supposed to list boundaries and consequences that your loved one would face if they refused treatment. It’s possible that your loved one only refused to seek help because they thought you were making empty threats. If you stick to your words, they might eventually give in and attend a treatment facility.

Common boundaries to make during interventions include refusing to continue offering financial support, not allowing them to live in your house, or refusing to continue your relationship with them until they are sober. While these might seem harsh, sticking to your boundaries will allow your loved one to feel the consequences of their addiction, increasing the likelihood that they’ll seek professional help.

Continue Offering Treatment

If your loved one continues to reach out to you after you’ve gone no contact, the only thing you should reply with is an affirmation of your boundaries. Let them know that you will not continue your relationship until they attend treatment and ensure they understand that your offer for professional help never expires.

Try Again With Professional Help

If you tried to host an intervention without professional help, that might be the reason it failed. Hiring a professional interventionist ensures that the process is properly planned. You’ll also have an addiction expert present during the intervention, which means you’ll have an ally who is familiar with how to drive an emotional conversation with someone suffering from addiction.

Consider Involuntary Commitment

If a second intervention will not suffice and your loved one is engaging in dangerous substance abuse or risky behaviors, it might be time to consider involuntary commitment. Each state has its involuntary commitment laws, so you’ll need to research how the process works in your specific location. That said, involuntary commitment might be the push your loved one needs to begin the healing process.

Find Support for Yourself

Lastly, you should always seek support for yourself when your loved one refuses to get help. Addiction is often considered a family disease because the behaviors of your loved one can negatively impact your life and mental health. This is why there are support groups for the family and friends of addicted individuals.

You can either go to support groups like Al-Anon or attend regular therapy sessions with a mental health professional. After all, it’s impossible to help someone recover from addiction when you are not mentally healthy yourself.

Get Connected to a Professional Addiction Interventionist

If you are considering hiring a professional interventionist to stage an intervention for your loved one, you’ve come to the right place. At New Jersey Addiction Interventions, we can help you carefully plan an intervention and convince your loved one to seek help for addiction.

Contact us today for more information on how a professional addiction intervention specialist can help you plan a successful intervention.

References:

1. Pew Research Center: Nearly half of Americans have a family member or close friend who’s been addicted to drugs