Will Drug Rehab Fix My Son Or Daughter?

Medically reviewed by

Jennifer Cousineau, MSCP, LPCI, NCC

April 5, 2019

Having a child who is suffering from drug addiction is a difficulty that no parent wants to endure. Your son or daughter is going through something that you may not fully understand, but you, as well, are taking on the nightmare that is drug addiction, while your child persists in dependency.

Your child’s illness may be beyond control in terms of what he or she can do alone. Seeking sobriety is something that most addicted individuals ponder at some point or another, but the fact is, drugs change brain chemistry drastically, they create new and unyielding thought processes, and worse, they alter sensibility in the brain, making rationalization nearly impossible. With all of this said and the more elaborate changes that occur within the mind, you must strive to find some sense of sympathy for what your child is suffering.

Is There A Fix?

Foremost in breaking ground and working to get your son or daughter necessary treatment is knowing that your child is not broken. Presenting a “fix” for his problem is beneficial but may not be the underlying reason for the initial drug use. Addiction is something that commonly runs much deeper than we can sometimes see. Looking at your child and the struggles of life he or she has undertaken, it may become clear to you that at some point, life was simply too hard.

Young people, those with much less life experience, are usually much more fraught with emotional unrest. Through young eyes, life’s problems look much bigger and on small shoulders, they can feel much heavier. Know and remember how childhood and young adulthood felt. And if your child is a grown adult who has struggled with addiction for many years, also know that addiction and drug abuse delays development and maturation. Your adult child may have the mentality of a 20-year-old when he is in fact 40. Sad, but true, he will need help getting over this illness that has attacked his brain for so long.

Will Rehab Help?

Seeking treatment isn’t always as easy as making a phone call and checking your child in. There are so many options for treatment programs, with attention to specifics in therapy types and services offered. Every person is different and your child may have a different need from someone else with a similar addiction problem. Perhaps your son would benefit from a Christian-based treatment program that helps him find a good path to walk on alongside the Lord. Maybe it would be better for your child to stay in a luxury setting or–on the flip side–a holistic, wilderness-based facility.

Making sure your addicted child is getting the best treatment for his needs should be a top priority. Traditional rehab in an inpatient or outpatient setting can absolutely lend to your son or daughter making way toward recovery. Rehab facilities usually begin treating patients by assisting them in detoxification. Your child’s body will be weaned off of the addicting substance and medical professionals will help in restoring their health. Commonly, nutrition, rest, and exercise will be implemented into his daily routine, while the focal points of the program are established. Therapies and engaging group sessions keep spirits up while more intensive activities that present healthy challenges also occur throughout the schedule.

Rehab will help your child in that it will provide a good platform on which to begin seeking sobriety. Though the program may not be perfect and the desire to go is commonly out of reach, your child will likely benefit from a stint in rehab treatment as it will display what life can be like without addiction. It will also help your child to realize that he’s not alone and that others struggle with addiction in similar ways, but that addiction should not be left to control his life.

Is There A Better Way?

There are always ways to treat addiction that some will say are better than others. Mostly, everything in addiction treatment modes is subjective as each person and his illness is unique. What you can ponder on is what may be of a better benefit to your child in terms of treatment style. You know if your son or daughter enjoys the outdoors and you can, therefore, determine that Holistic or Wilderness-based addiction treatment will likely be a better option for him.

Think about who your child is and what positive influences have been a big part of his or her life. You may have your own ideas about the best form of therapy or rehab for your child, but now is the time to sever what YOU think is best based on personal opinion, and instead think of what would be best for your child based on his individual needs, preferences, and future goals. If he wants to be a photographer professionally, maybe you think it’s an unwise career path, but know that art therapy can probably help him in getting to a point of recovery.

A “better way” for your child to receive treatment for addiction is possible, and any traditional rehab is going to be a move in the right direction. Enrolling in a general rehab now, can be a stepping stone for helping your child get into something more specific down the road.

Steps Toward Helping Your Child

To ease your way into helping your child, or to even step in when addiction has posed an immediate threat, take to heart the following steps and make it easier for both you and your child, as you approach the need for treatment. Know that there may be push back from him when you voice your opinion about his problems, but remaining calm, cool, and collected is the only way to move forward without your goal blowing up in your face.

Approach your child calmly:

The only good way to get through to someone who is mentally altered by addiction is to speak in a way that promotes health and happiness. This means never turning into the angry parent, never name-call, and never being pushy in a non-constructive way.

Good ways of approaching your child would be over dinner or during a nice occasion where you might use a positive moment as an example for how life can be in his future.

Make a good argument without arguing:

The best way to sort out priorities and make sure you explain why treatment is a good option to your child, is to listen while you’re speaking. Your child will likely be ready to refute what you say, but arguing will only make things more difficult. Listen and be patient, while also communicating in an effective way.

Speak of options and the future:

Remind your son or daughter that there is a future in sight. Let your child know that life outside of addiction is amazing and that relationships and other broken components to life can be repaired. Also make it known that options for treatment are vast and that getting into something that suits him will make treatment more comfortable.

Remind him that you love him:

“Why” will always come into question when approaching the subject of rehab. Make sure that your child understands that your desire to get him into treatment is not because you’re upset with him, but because you love him and you care about his life and wellbeing. Also make sure you let him know that any anger that occurred in the past didn’t mean that you lost any love for him, rather that your sadness during his struggle made emotions more difficult to handle.

Give help and support:

Let your child know that you are proud of his decision to get into treatment, that you believe in him, and that you will always be in support of his recovery. Tell him that tomorrow is a new day and that there is so much life left to live. Make sure he knows that if sobriety ever slips from his hands, you’ll be there helping him to get back on track.

Your Child Will Need You

While your child goes through the difficulties of seeking sobriety and healing, he will need you for support. Help him when you’re able, but remember, you can’t always do it alone. RehabCenter.net is here to give you the extra help you need as you find the best resources for treatment available. Let us help you as you get your child the care he needs; contact us today.