Whether your best friend, sibling, or child is dealing with substance abuse, you might want an immediate solution that guarantees their safety. However, convincing a loved one to seek addiction treatment takes time and thoughtful planning. If you’re in this situation, use the following three tips to find success.

3 Tips for Convincing a Loved One to Get Addiction Treatment

1. Learn About Their Struggle

Notions of addiction have been primarily built on films, books, and tabloids. Unfortunately, this leaves many with a skewed perception of one’s experiences and struggles. If you aim to help a loved one overcome addiction, you should spend time researching their condition beforehand. Ensure you understand why it’s a disease, not a character flaw, and approach your friend or relative respectfully and compassionately.

Imagine yourself in their position, reliant on a substance that dismantles your judgment and self-control. If they feel like you understand their situation, they’ll be more willing to talk to you about it, and maybe potentially make a change.

2. Avoid Criticizing Them

While your friend or relative’s addiction may have a significant impact on you and your family, placing blame won’t start a productive conversation. If you want your loved one to seek addiction treatment, you should put aside any anger and focus on the individual behind the disease. Instead of listing the ways they’ve hurt you, explain why you love them, and how their addiction overshadows that.

Remind them of the life they lived beforehand, and what they could aspire to be in the future. The more hope your loved one has for a positive outcome, the more likely they’ll be to accept professional help.

3. Offer Your Involvement

Finally, provide your loved one with a fast track to help. Instead of leaving them to find an addiction treatment center on their own, do so in advance. If the conversation goes well, and they acknowledge the need to make a change, help them find a counseling center or facility with which they’re comfortable.

Immediately provide them with a phone number for the care center. This limits the amount of work they need to do to find help and increases the chance of them seeking treatment.

For a reliable addiction treatment center in Covington, KY, turn to NorthKey Community Care. Their compassionate board of directors has helped people with substance abuse struggles since 1966. Whether your loved one is using opiates, alcohol, or painkillers, call (859) 331-3292 to speak with a representative that cares about their mental and physical health. Visit their website to learn more about offerings, including regional prevention services.