Can I Convince Someone to Go to Rehab?

The iconic English philosopher Jeremy Bentham famously said, “It is the greatest good to the greatest number of people which is the measure of right and wrong.” It is also one of the “greatest goods” that one can do to help someone struggling with addiction go to rehab. However, it is always important to remember that one can never make the ultimate decision to go to rehab for someone else. Only individual willingness will truly start someone down the road to recovery. But, that does not mean that there aren’t ways to help someone along the way.

Helping a Loved One Heal at the Cellular Level

Aiding a loved one to go to rehab can be one of the most daunting undertakings an individual may ever go through. Because of this reality, it is important not to squander that hard work by choosing a subpar rehab facility.

It is important to choose a recovery center that focuses on healing at the cellular level. But, what exactly does that mean? It means ensuring that an individual recovers mind, body, and soul rather than simply putting down the drink or the drug (though this, of course, is a crucial part of it).

Healing at the cellular level is all about healing the whole self (in fact, this is essentially the definition of “holistic”). The whole self includes the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Unfortunately, many recovery centers opt to take the easy road and just focus on abstinence rather than all of the other components that go with abstinence, like spiritual healing.

How Important Is Choosing the Right Recovery Center

Many recovery centers only offer broad “cookie cutter” treatment plans that don’t take the individual into account. These are usually recovery centers that are more concerned with how many people they can treat rather than how many they can treat responsibly.

Much of this is due to the fact that the recovery industry is worth billions of dollars. This amount of money can lead some treatment facilities and recovery centers to put their profits before their primary purpose of helping their clients heal.

Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we know that this type of “one-size-fits-all” recovery rarely works. Recovery must be individualized and comprehensive starting with a personalized intake process and ending with a plan that focuses on the long term.

Better Understanding Addiction

Many people have trouble understanding addiction. This is not their fault, it is just the reality of the social landscape right now. Addiction often remains stigmatized as some type of moral failing or “choice” to tear one’s life down. This is simply not the case.

Addiction is a disease, and it is a chronic disease that is often only going to get worse without some type of professional intervention. One can think of it in the same way that they think of other chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Addiction is also highly prevalent and incredibly damaging. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Drug overdoses are one of the leading causes of injury death in adults and have risen over the past several decades in the United States. Overdoses involving synthetic opioids (fentanyl, for example) and stimulants (cocaine and methamphetamine, for example) have also risen in the past few years.” However, statistics like these are rarely going to convince someone to go to rehab, it takes a personal touch to do that.

Can I Convince Someone to Go to Rehab?

So, can someone convince a loved one to go to rehab? The answer is not so simple. Yes, there are effective ways to convince someone to go to rehab, but if they don’t truly want it or aren’t facing any consequences if they don’t, the chances for success are relatively low.

The key to convincing someone to go to rehab is to be honest with them. It’s important to tell them how their addiction is affecting the loved ones around them. It can be helpful to remind them that addiction is a “family disease” and it makes everyone, not just the individual, sick and suffering.

One of the best ways to “convince” someone to go to rehab is to create consequences and set boundaries if they don’t go. Of course, this will feel rather harsh. But, it is important to remember that these consequences and boundaries may ultimately save their life. Also, if one feels that this is too difficult an undertaking, there are interventionists who can help (as will be discussed shortly).

Can I Help Someone to Go to Rehab?

So, while there may be complexities to “convincing” someone to go to rehab, there are less so when it comes to helping someone go to rehab. This generally just involves the logistics of finding the right recovery center and helping them tie up some loose ends as they go (and after they have checked in).

Some of the “loose ends” include connecting with an individual’s insurance to ensure that they have coverage. If they don’t have coverage, there are many options that can help an individual recover. It is critical to remember that recovery should never take a second seat to financial issues. After all, what good is money if one remains sick and suffering?

Other loose ends include helping an individual pack for the treatment center, or even simply packing for them. Usually, a recovery center only requires a couple of sets of clothes and shoes. Anything else can be sent after the fact. 

Lastly, it can be helpful to connect to one’s work and explain the situation. One must always remember that a place of employment is not allowed to discriminate against someone who is struggling with addiction. Besides, most places of employment will be happy to know that their employee is getting the help that they need. Of course, none of this can happen if one cannot recognize the signs and symptoms of addiction.

The Signs and Symptoms of Addiction

Because addiction exists on such a broad spectrum, it can be hard to define a set list of signs and symptoms. However, there are some universal signs that can be looked out for. The following are just a few of those signs and symptoms:

• Complaints of otherwise unexplained physical ailments like gastrointestinal problems
• Constantly having excessive hangovers
• Losing interest in activities and hobbies once enjoyed
• Isolating away from family and friends
• Talking about drinking or using substances “too much”
• Not being able to stop drinking or using substances once started
• Spending excessive amounts of money on alcohol and substances
• Having trouble at work and/or school
• Feeling sick when not drinking or using substances (withdrawals)
• Having trouble with sleep cycles, including sleeping too much and not sleeping enough (insomnia)
• Feeling anxious and depressed
• Engaging in risky behaviors
• Feeling like one may want to cause harm to oneself or others

As one can see, these are rather intense symptoms, and they should be addressed as soon as possible. One of the best ways to do this is to stage an intervention.

A Focus on Interventions

Interventions are a highly effective way to get a loved one the proper help they need and to help them go to rehab. This is why we here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab employ interventionists who can work in all 50 states.

An effective intervention is going to help convince an individual that it is time to get help. It is also going to support the family (including close friends) when they set hard boundaries. These are boundaries like not letting an individual come into the home if they opt not to get help. It could mean cutting them off financially. Also, it may mean not allowing them to see or be around certain family members (especially children) if they refuse to get the help they need.

It is not just enough to set these boundaries, one must stick to them. An effective interventionist will help with this dedication. They will also ensure that the individual gets to the right recovery center once they say “yes.” In most cases, this is a recovery center that also has a medically supervised, safe, and secure detox.

A Focus on Safe and Secure Detoxes

Detoxes can be a critical component of one’s recovery. It is also something that should never be administered on one’s own. One of the reasons for this is that it can be incredibly and unnecessarily uncomfortable, both physically and mentally. However, the main reason is that it can be deadly (especially detoxing from alcohol).

A detox is also a critical part of recovery because it helps an individual get back to healthy levels of hydration and nutrition. Many people don’t realize just how sick someone actually is when they stop using alcohol and substances. This is why we here at Exclusive Hawaii Reheab use pharmaceutical-grade supplements to get our clients back to optimal nutrient levels.

Perhaps the most important of an effective detox is it reduces the risk of relapse, and many people don’t realize just how prevalent relapse really is. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), “Research indicates that approximately 60% of individuals with substance dependence eventually enter sustained recovery; however, for many of them, it takes more than one cycle of lapse relapse treatment reentry before achieving sustained recovery.” That’s 40% who relapse and never make it back, which is a scary statistic. 

An effective detox will also connect an individual to the next stages of their recovery. This often means residential care that offers an array of means, methods, and modalities of recovery.

Various Means, Methods, and Modalities for the Most Effective Recovery

The most effective recovery method tends to be the “multi-angled approach.” This is an approach that uses modalities from many realms of recovery, such as psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), experiential therapies like nature immersion therapy and surf therapy, and holistic healing methods like yoga therapy and mindfulness meditation.

When many of these modalities are used in tandem, the chances for recovery go up exponentially. However, it is important to note that the most effective recovery plans ensure that they have a foundation of evidence-based modalities like CBT and DBT.

Go to Rehab With Psychotherapy

CBT and DBT are highly effective because they make the individual an “active participant” in their own recovery. This means that the individual is responsible for addressing their underlying issues (which are often associated with repressed memories and trauma.

CBT and DBT can also be highly effective because they focus on changing the negative way that one views oneself and the world around them. When this change of perspective occurs an individual tends to be less likely to turn to a toxic solution like using alcohol and substances. Other highly effective recovery methods include experiential therapies like surf therapy.

Go to Rehab With Experiential Therapy

Experiential therapies are exceptional supplemental modalities because they help an individual connect with aspects of themselves that active addiction may have blocked them from. These therapies include nature-based therapies like surf therapy.

There may be no better place on earth to engage in surf therapy than off of the Hamakus Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island in the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean. A mere 15-minute journey from our 30-acre luxury property exists one of the best surf breaks on Hawaii’s Big Island. Here an individual can catch some of the best waves in the world while also meditating as green sea turtles swim below.

Surf therapy also offers many other benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Carefully planned water activities tailored to the needs of the individual can contribute to correct psychosocial and cognitive development [18]. The International Surf Therapy Organization summarizes the benefits of adequately indicated surf therapy as follows: improved physical health and mobility; improved mental health, including reduction of specific symptoms, such as posttraumatic stress and depression; improved well-being (strengthening of trust and confidence, encouragement of independence, resilience and protective coping strategies) and improved social skills.”

Another highly beneficial experiential therapy is horticulture therapy. When one is done surfing they can relax and get their hands dirty as they reconnect with the earth and cultivate amazing local fruits and vegetables. This therapy has been shown to be highly beneficial in helping an individual find essential serenity, emotional balance, and mental clarity. It also helps an individual to get the essential vitamin D that comes from being out under the rejuvenating Hawaiian sunshine.

Go to Rehab With Holistic Healing Methods

It is also highly beneficial to engage with holistic healing methods like yoga therapy, acupuncture, massage, and mindfulness meditation. These modalities can help individuals center themselves and become one with the world around them.

The beauty of holistic healing methods is they can also travel with an individual wherever they may go. This is great in aiding in long-term recovery and reducing any potential for relapses. Ultimately, the key is to find a combination of modalities that work for the individual and stick to them (especially after leaving treatment).

Exclusive Hawaii Rehab: Helping Someone Go to Rehab on Hawaii’s Big Island

Jeremy Bentham also famously said, “Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet.” It is important to remember that even in hard times there are bright spots. Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we help to bring better focus to those bright spots.

Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” That is why we focus solely on individualized, comprehensive recovery plans with a focus on the future. It is time to heal at the cellular level. Let us help make it a reality.

Getting a loved one the help they need can be one of the most daunting ordeals an individual may ever go through. The good news is that there are many ways to help a loved one get the help they need, including staging an intervention and connecting them to a treatment center. The key is to connect them to the right treatment center that is going to focus on their individual needs. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction or mental illness, we can help. You don’t have to go through this alone. For more information about getting a loved one the help they need, call Exclusive Hawaii Rehab at (808) 775-0200.