When Should I Send a Loved One to Treatment?
How do you know if the person you love needs to go to a substance abuse rehab center? Many of you may think this question seems pretty silly. Some of you may find this very helpful. Many of you may find yourself thinking, “Thank God someone is breaking this down for me!”
The truth is that the answer isn’t as clear-cut as I once thought it was. I was a slam-dunk case, anyone within a ten-mile radius knew I needed help and I needed it fast. Over the past decade, I’ve seen that this isn’t always the case.
The disease of addiction can and does take many different forms. It hides in good grades, financial stability, and a stable home. What looks like a functioning member of society can actually be the alcoholic who’s suffering the most.
To help sort out this dilemma, one that my family and I recently went though, I’ve made a list of the top five signs your loved one needs the help of a substance abuse rehab.
5) Their Actions Don’t Match Their Words
Those of us with a problem always have the best intentions. They’re always just that though, intentions. They’re rarely actual results.
“I’m going to be home by dinner,” or “I’ll be getting a job next week,” or “My grades haven’t come out yet, but I’ll bring them to you as soon as I have them” are common in our vocabulary.
Broken promises and unfulfilled intentions can be a clear sign of addiction. When the drug or the booze becomes the most important thing in a person’s life, everything else falls by the wayside. Your loved one does mean what they say, and they probably intend on following through, but if it even smells a tad bit like what they promised will conflict with them getting high, they’ll chose the drug every time.
4) They Disappear
When I heard my cousins’ called their Dad “Houdini,” I asked why. “Because he’s always disappearing,” they said. I knew this meant he was addicted to something and I was right.
People who don’t have a problem with drugs and alcohol are always present and don’t need to sneak away. They also don’t take ten-minute bathroom breaks every ten minutes. They don’t need to go to the gas station everyday.
If they’re consistently late because of “traffic,” I’d take a closer look at their route home. The consistently missing or absent person may seem simply aloof or busy, but they’re most likely hiding something.
What’s the deadliest drug combination?
3) You Never See Their Friends
This isn’t because they don’t have any. It’s because their friends are most likely people that you normally wouldn’t associate with. Drunks and drug dealers are not the type of people you bring home to mom and dad. They’re the last resource for companionship on the final leg of the journey down the bottle. Your loved one only hints at these people. They may have full profiles and grand stories of their existence, but they never fully materialize in person.
2) They Never Let You in Their Car
The addict or alcoholic’s secrets are normally kept in their car. It’s the place they spend most of their time and it’s private. It may be the one place that’s disorganized and disheveled, while the rest of their life seems to be in tiptop shape.
If your loved one goes out of their way to keep you out of their car, there’s most likely a pretty good reason for it.
Is there meth in your medicine cabinet?
1) They Lie…A Lot
People who lie a lot have something to hide. People who have something to hide are doing something wrong. People who do things that are wrong, and keep doing them, have a problem. People who have problems need help.
If you know someone who needs help, call our substance abuse rehab center now at 866-308-2090.
