How To Get Someone Into Alcohol and Drug Rehab for Addiction Treatment

Addiction is a chronic illness and one of the most destructive forces in the world. Before a person even realizes they may be abusing a substance, it can get out of control. If you’re wondering about how to get someone into rehab, you likely have a family member, friend, or another person that you care about who is struggling with substance abuse. Convincing a loved one with a drug or alcohol addiction to attend substance abuse treatment can be difficult, but it is possible. 

The best course of action when dealing with a substance use disorder is always to get professional help from a reputable addiction treatment facility. When you are struggling with substance abuse you will eventually enter treatment willingly because you have come to accept that you have a problem. When you want to better your life or at least get it back on track because you understand that your substance abuse issue will ruin or even end your life.

It’s time to urge your loved one to get help – whether they think they need it or not – and it starts with the same thing: a conversation.

What You Can Do When a Loved One Won’t Admit Their Problem 

In extreme cases, things like court-ordered rehab and involuntary commitment laws exist for getting people into a substance abuse treatment center when their addiction has become dangerous. This is a possibility especially if your loved one is getting into legal trouble.  

Confronting Loved Ones with Substance Use Disorders 

Consistency is key, keep pointing out how their negative behaviors are impacting themselves and others. Make it clear that this is because of the hold their substance abuse has on them. Let them know it is entirely possible to break the cycle.

Additionally, it can be helpful for them to know that they will not be alone. Help them understand that you are there to support them and that you want them to get better. Some drug addiction treatment programs even offer family therapy sessions and support groups for patients and their loved ones to overcome issues brought on by substance abuse and repair relationships.

Related: How to Help an Addict and Stop Enabling

Why is Telling Someone That They Need to Enter Alcohol and Drug Rehab So Hard? 

The simple answer is that many don’t view their substance abuse disorder as a problem. In their mind, the calmness, numbness, or excitement they feel when they use drugs is what solves their problems [1]. If they continue to satisfy their urge for their drug of choice, they believe that they are happy. In the long run, substance use only causes issues. 

In a way, when you’re trying to convince someone, they need rehab, you’re talking to the addiction, not the person you love. Addiction quite often coexists alongside mental disorders – like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or other mental health conditions – and drugs become a way for the person to quiet their thoughts [2]. Many rehabs treat co-occurring disorders, recognizing that they come in pairs.  

A common aspect of substance abuse is the person’s denial. Someone suffering from addiction will lie and cover up their addiction or deny having one altogether. If you are sure that someone’s changing behavior is due to drug or alcohol abuse, it’s time to tell them they have a problem and need help. 

How to Get Someone into Drug and Alcohol Rehab 

If you are at a loss over where to start with how to get someone into a rehab center, here are some places to start.

It may be a long process, and you might worry because, at that time,e their situation might get worse, but it’s important to remember that their decision to enter rehab is unlikely to happen overnight.

Try Staging an Intervention

Staging an intervention is usually the first step for families or friends wanting to help a loved one get help. Interventions are common and, in many cases, quite effective. However, the concept is daunting, and it can be difficult to know how to hold one effectively.

A proper intervention can take a lot of preparation and tends to be more successful with professional assistance. There are professional intervention specialists out there who can help you plan and guide the conversation before it takes place in a way that will minimize offense and mistakes. They are also more effective the more people you can get involved with, so rally friends and relatives who are worried about the person. 

Finding a good moment to talk about someone’s substance use treatment is never an easy thing. You’ll have to not only try to talk to them when they are sober, but hopefully, they’ll be in a mood where they are open to listening. Even if they are not open and willing to listen to your concerns, we recommend not giving up. Talking to them again at another time and gently reminding them they should get help might lead them to finally admit that they agree.

Research Treatment Facilities Ahead of Time

It is important to spend time looking for the best alcohol and drug rehab facility for your loved one as each center employs different modalities and strategies to help individuals through treatment. Being prepared with immediate options to choose from if the intervention is successful will help your loved one get the help they need as soon as possible.

If you have health insurance, make sure the center accepts it because addiction treatment can get expensive out of pocket. Look for facilities that have seamless pathways into aftercare programs such as outpatient addiction treatment and sober living so your loved one can stay with the same clinical team from start to finish.

Related: Find Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centers Near You  

Here are some key points to focus on during the conversation of your intervention [4]:

• Show your care and concern: Your loved one should know that the intervention is because you love them. Make sure they know you’re doing this because you care and that they’re not alone. 
• Help them make the connections: Many people struggling with addiction do not realize how much their behavior and lives have changed. Try to explain to them the tangible changes; maybe they previously enjoyed playing sports or seeing old friends, but now spend all their free time with drugs, alcohol, or new friends and bad influences. 
• Come prepared: Come to the conversation with facts about the drug itself, treatment options, and how these treatments work. 
• Listen just as much as you speak: You want them to know they are being heard, too. Even if you don’t necessarily agree with their arguments.  
• Set your limits: When they still deny and refuse treatment, make sure they understand the consequences that come with that by setting firm boundaries. 

You should always be prepared in case your conversation doesn’t work. Have a backup plan in place, if you so choose. Sometimes though, an intervention will not be enough. 

How Clear Behavioral Health’s Alcohol and Drug Rehab for Addiction Treatment Can Help  

While there are many rehab programs to choose from, Clear Behavioral Health offers a comprehensive and individually tailored, full continuum of care. Upon calling our facility, our compassionate admissions team will ask varying questions so we can get you into the correct program.

Drug and Alcohol Detox 

If you need to go through detox, we have a drug and alcohol detox program. When you go through detox, it can take anywhere from 3 to 7 days for your withdrawal symptoms to subside. You’ll be in a home-like environment with 24/7 medical care and medications will be administered if needed to alleviate any withdrawal symptoms. This is the safest and most effective option.

Related: What is Detox Treatment and Why Is It So Important?

Addiction Treatment Rehab 

After detox, you’ll enter our drug rehab treatment facility where you will engage in various effective treatment methods. This includes one-on-one therapy and group therapy, as well as family therapy and holistic techniques. This comprehensive approach helps target not only your substance use issues but helps you build your support network as well.

Related: What’s it Like Day-to-Day in Addiction Treatment Rehab?

Outpatient Substance Abuse Programs

Once you have completed detox and rehab, it is recommended to continue your treatment journey with outpatient substance abuse programs. You might start going to treatment 5 days a week during a partial hospitalization program (PHP) then step down to an intensive outpatient program (IOP) which meets three days a week.

Throughout PHP and IOP you will have ongoing support from mental health professionals as well as drug and alcohol counselors as you make the transition to living your life outside of a rehab facility. Early sobriety can be a challenging time especially when drug cravings, mental health symptoms, and life stressors pop up, making outpatient programs a vital step in the recovery process.

Getting a Loved One Started On Their Journey to Recovery 

There is no easy path to get someone suffering from addiction into treatment. Watching and experiencing a loved one’s substance abuse battle is awful. Helping them see that rehab followed by outpatient treatment is their best chance to live the amazing life ahead of them may feel impossible, but it can be done. 

Clear Behavioral Health offers drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs ranging from medical detoxification including drug detox and alcohol detox, drug rehab, outpatient substance abuse programs, and dual diagnosis treatment, as well as alumni programming for ongoing support. If you know a loved one struggling with addiction and you are not sure where to start, give us a call and a member of our care team will guide you through the options. Get your loved one on the journey to recovery today. Don’t give up. 

References: 

1. Preface | National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2025, January 8). National Institute on Drug Abuse. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/addiction-science/drugs-brain-behavior-science-of-addiction 
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Today’s heroin epidemic [Report]. https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/pdf/2015-07-vitalsigns.pdf 
3. Bose, J., Hedden, S. L., Lipari, R. N., Park-Lee, E., & Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018b). Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHFFR2017/NSDUHFFR2017.pdf 
4. Intervention: Help a loved one overcome addiction. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/in-depth/intervention/art-20047451