How to Get Someone Into Rehab in Canada

How to Get Someone Into Rehab in Canada

• Mandy Sandhu
• 18 Jul 2024

As friends and family members of someone with a substance abuse problem, it can be hard to watch their lives deteriorate. Unfortunately, many people with drug abuse difficulties either don’t want substance abuse treatment or don’t see they have a problem.

Sometimes it’s up to the strength of family and friends to guide their loved one toward rehabilitation. The question is, how to get someone into rehab? Either they will admit they need help and go voluntarily, or they will refuse help and, potentially, be involuntary participants. Both scenarios require a different approach.

How to Get Someone Into Rehab if They Admit They Need Help 

Admitting they seek treatment is already a huge first step toward addiction recovery. Thankfully, at Freedom From Addiction, there’s no waitlist. Many government rehab centres have extremely long waitlists, but here, your loved one can start getting support and medical care immediately.

You can call now and start gathering information about our addiction treatment programs and enrolling yourself or your loved one. Then, we will begin the medical detox program with professional support, in a comfortable, peaceful home setting.

We also offer concurrent treatment, since we understand that addiction and mental health are connected. Through concurrent treatment programs, our patients can work to become sober while learning about their reasons for abusing drugs and alcohol.

At the same time, it’s important to communicate with the person joining our rehab program. They may not have been able to do this research and enroll independently, but if they’re voluntarily seeking help, discuss the benefits and the plan with them.

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How to Get Someone Into Rehab if They Don’t Want Help 

Admittance in treatment centers becomes more difficult when someone with substance use disorder refuses to believe they need help or even have a problem. It’s still important to try and steer them in the direction of rehabilitation. Here’s how to approach the situation:

Speak with Them 

It wouldn’t be fair to get a loved one into a rehab program without first discussing it with them. Take this time to outline your concerns and observations in calm, non-judgmental ways to highlight the effects of the person’s drug addiction. See what they think about it first.

However, be prepared before initiating this conversation, as it can be shocking and triggering to someone with an addiction. Drug addicts can be coming from a vulnerable or aggressive state. Some won’t realize that addiction has taken over their lives, so approach the topic with grace. 

Set Boundaries 

Don’t let addiction take control of your life as well. Outline boundaries with the person suffering from an addiction so they know what you will and won’t tolerate. This could be zero drugs and alcohol in a shared house, for example.

Speak with Family and Friends 

If there seems to be resistance, bring family and friends into the discussion to show that there are others who feel the same way and want what’s best for the addicted person. It’s not just one person; there’s a group of people noticing unhealthy behaviour. Knowing at least one family member cares might help them.

Outline Expectations and Consequences 

Speak to the expectations of future decisions, including attending rehab, and the consequences of not seeking help or making changes for the better. This will outline the options the addicted person has, with full clarity of how it will affect their relationships.

Call for Professional Medical Intervention 

If nothing else works, call us. At Freedom from Addiction, we have the tools and expertise to prepare family and friends for an intervention centred around understanding, compassion, and education.

If none of these work, the person can remain untreated or get involuntary treatment, where family members act on the patient’s behalf and admit them into a treatment facility without their consent.

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Can You Force Someone into Rehab in Canada? 

Yes, under certain circumstances. In Ontario, the Ontario Mental Health Act outlines two ways a person can be involuntarily admitted to a drug and alcohol rehab centre:

1. If the person is a danger to themselves or others
2. If the person’s condition is deteriorating and requires hospitalization

Only a physician can make these conclusions. However, things change if the person suffering from an addiction has a mental illness that would affect their ability to make reasonable decisions. If they are likely to harm themselves (physically or psychologically) or someone else, a physician has the obligation to hold them until they don’t pose that risk anymore.

In Ontario, if the person can’t be released because of the risk of bodily harm, they can still refuse treatment if they’re able. If the person has a mental disorder which affects their ability to make reasonable decisions, or their substance abuse problem is out of control, family, friends, and the attending physician can send them, involuntarily, to a rehabilitation centre for treatment and mental health services.

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Get Someone Into Rehab Now with Freedom From Addiction 

When the opportunity for rehabilitation arises, it should be secured while the person is in the right mindset. But we also offer interventions and intervention assistance. That’s why Freedom From Addiction has help ready immediately for whichever path is chosen. 

As soon as a person wants to start their recovery journey, we’re ready to provide medical, emotional, and physical support. Our team of trained medical professionals welcomes anyone into our rehab facility, providing the necessary treatments they need.

Get help now and take a step towards drug and alcohol addiction treatment today.