You can feel helpless watching a loved one struggle with an addiction or poor mental health as they refuse to seek the proper help. It’s easy to get caught up in wanting to try to fix their problems yourself instead of letting them realize on their own they have a problem and that they need help properly addressing it. This may be especially hard to stand by when that person seems like they are self-destructing. However, there’s only so much you can do for someone who doesn’t want help, so realize you can not kill yourself in the process of trying to help them. Not knowing what the right steps to take in a situation where someone refuses help can be helped by following these tips.
Respect Where They Are Without Judging
Change can be a scary thing and admitting that you have a big character flaw is a challenging step for a person, so honor where your struggling loved one is without judgment. After all, you can’t say how long it would take you to admit you need help if you were in the same situation. Meet them with empathy and try to understand how you would feel in their situation and how you would want to be treated.
Provide Safety Without Enabling
While trying to offer what help you can to your struggling loved one, be cautious to not enable them as they deny their situation at hand. Enabling is common in relationships with addicts and comes in many forms that may look like denial, being controlling, avoiding the problem, or minimizing the reality of the situation. Instead of enabling them, let them feel safe by validating the struggles they are going through and be a loving presence to them so they don’t feel alone as they come to terms with their situation. Make them feel safe as they move through the steps needed to come to grips with the circumstances of their addiction or mental health challenge by letting them know you will offer your support when they need it.
Wait and Catch Them When They are Ready To Get Help
As you wait for your struggling loved ones to realize they need help, explain to them that you will be there to help them find the right treatment they need whenever they are ready for it but can not support their destructive behavior in the meantime. When the time comes and they are finally ready to begin their recovery, bring them to a treatment facility or other treatment solution.
As hard as you may try, you can’t force someone into seeing they need help for an addiction or mental health challenge. When they are ready to, they will seek help and you can be supportive and assist them in finding the right treatment solutions. Avalon Malibu is one of the only residential treatment centers in California that treats both mental health disorders and substance use addiction. At Avalon, we offer a continuum of high-quality, integrated care that meets the many needs of our patients. Contact us as soon as you are ready to begin your recovery at (844) 857-5992.
