Can You Force Someone Into Rehab? Involuntary Commitment Laws

The purpose of this writ is to have a court establish whether the person has been legally detained. These patients no more wanted to go to rehab than someone who is forced to go by their family. Many states allow parents to force their minor children—under the age of 18—to attend drug and alcohol rehab even without the child’s consent.3 However, things change for those 18 and older.

While living in a treatment center, they may go through the motions, participate in therapy sessions, and spend time with others in recovery, but the commitment needed to get clean will be missing. And, unfortunately, without a focused commitment, substance users are likely to finish treatment and return immediately to their old habits. A moment of clarity may occasionally happen while in rehab but it’s not guaranteed. Anyone who has dealt with substance abuse knows that denial and disinterest are big elements of the illness of addiction. Many people living with a substance use disorder either don’t believe they have a problem, or aren’t interested in committing to the lifestyle changes necessary to get sober. As such, many choose not to seek help, even when they desperately need it.

Addiction

If you have any concern that our content is inaccurate or it should be updated, please let our team know at [email protected]. Isaak learned addiction psychology at Aspen University and got a Master’s Degree in Arts in Psychology and Addiction Counseling. After graduation, he became a substance abuse counselor, providing individual, group, and family counseling for those who strive to achieve and maintain sobriety and recovery goals. Addiction Resource team has compiled an extensive list of the top drug rehabilitation facilities around the country. Click on the state you are interested in, and you’ll get a list of the best centers in the area, along with their levels of care, working hours, and contact information. How long involuntary care lasts in NC depends on the court ruling where the judge decides the time for which a person may be committed in the process.

• The presence of several different people might open their eyes to the problem.
• In many states, a person who is involuntarily committed for inpatient treatment is treated for about two weeks.
• In the case of minors, you will have more rights to commit your child to substance abuse treatment than you would with an adult.
• However, when someone who clearly needs professional help isn’t getting it, the urge to force them becomes evident.
• According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there are over 14,500 specialized addiction treatment centers in the United States.
• Outpatient programs provide nearly identical services but allow the individual to return home or to a sober living environment at the end of each day’s treatment.

Once the addiction signs are observed, find out if the individual is open to the idea of entering rehab as a next step. If he or she says yes, it’s time to begin planning and researching treatment options (see Step 3) if you haven’t done so already. This option requires substantial and reliable evidence demonstrating the potential harm for the how to get someone into rehab person or others, which might be difficult to obtain. Involuntary commitment laws are not in place in all U.S. states, but the laws are changing. If you are dealing with a mentally unstable family member, take steps to learn more about mental illness. Communicate with your loved one about your concerns and encourage them to seek treatment.

Is Evidence of Potential Harm Necessary for an Involuntary Commitment?

Talk to our recovery specialists today and learn about our integrated treatment programs. There are many family-based approaches that encourage open communication and family unit healing. Addiction is often not just an individual disorder but a disease that impacts the person’s entire family unit.

• If you are wondering how to involuntarily commit someone to drug rehab, it first needs to be proven the individual is addicted to drugs or alcohol.
• While involuntary commitment was meant to be used solely for individuals with symptoms of a severe mental disorder, it has since spread to addiction treatment.
• We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.
• From noticing a change in a person’s behavior to noticing a loved one acting dangerously and recklessly, the signs of addiction can hide in plain sight.

Doctors will still protect doctor-patient confidentiality, but in their medical and professional opinions, they can also recommend courses of action to take, which can be very eye-opening for the person. In some cases, it has been proven to help them think clearly when someone outside of their social or family circle is able to recognize issues. Exhibiting two or more of these signs indicates that the individual meets the criteria for a substance use disorder and should be assessed by a healthcare professional, who can make the diagnosis. Most people who become addicted to a substance will either be unaware or in denial of their problem. Addiction tends to happen gradually, starting with substance misuse, or in the case of legal prescription drugs, long-term use. Even those following dosage instructions perfectly can become addicted to habit-forming medications, though it’s less likely.

How To Commit Someone to Rehab?

Family Behavioral Therapy (FBT) aims to address substance misuse issues, co-occurring disorders, and many other issues that can impact a family and the development of addiction, such as abuse, neglect, and unemployment. FBT may involve the person suffering from addiction and one additional family member, like a partner, or in the case of adolescents, parents, caregivers, or siblings. FBT is tailored to fit individual needs and teaches you about healthy communication styles to help the entire family unit overcome addiction among a myriad of other family-related challenges.

If this doesn’t help, sometimes putting your loved one in involuntary rehab for drugs is the best way to help them. If an OPC is issued, a probable cause hearing must be held within 72 hours. At this hearing the judge decides whether the patient will be held at a mental health facility or released, while awaiting the mental health hearing.

Choose Recovery Over Addiction

Their whole focus becomes the addiction and finding ways to get high or get drunk. In addition, trying to communicate with loved ones who have an addiction problem can be challenging. It is very difficult to help a loved one who is suffering from an addiction. This is often because the loved one does not see that they have an addiction and need help. People who struggle with addiction tend to be in denial about their situation and unwilling to change and find treatment.

• North Carolina Involuntary treatment Laws allow individuals with mental health disorders to be committed to rehab against their will.
• You might choose to sit down with your loved one alone to have this discussion.
• The purpose of this writ is to have a court establish whether the person has been legally detained.

However, with the proper coping techniques as well as with love and support from those surrounding the individual, long-term recovery is absolutely possible. Staging an intervention or asking a loved one to enter treatment means that the individual either is unaware of a substance misuse problem or aware but has so far declined or neglected to seek treatment. The most effective way to confront a person struggling with an addiction is with an intervention. The intervention plan should include a chosen rehab center before the intervention takes place. This way, they can enter the facility immediately after the intervention, when the intervention’s impact is strongest. However, if they say no, or become hostile when the idea is brought up, it may be time to hire a professional interventionist.

Consult a Medical Professional

We’ve been able to identify if we are enabling them, or if someone else is, but it comes down to one thing. They need help, and whether it’s a therapist or detoxification program, you can encourage them to seek help far better than anyone else can if you’re an important and influential https://ecosoberhouse.com/ figure in their life. Join the thousands of people that have called a treatment provider for rehab information. Dependence involves the changes that take place in the individual’s body and brain in order to accommodate the frequent presence of a foreign substance.