Reprieve Recovery is one of Florida’s leading substance abuse treatment providers. This page features practical advice to help you help someone with an addiction.
Why Supporting Someone With an Addiction Matters
If someone you care about seems to be caught in the whirlwind of addiction it’s easy to feel helpless. It’s frustrating. It can make you feel sad and angry. If you want to help someone with an addiction though, the first thing to know is that what you do matters. Even when it seems like you’re not getting through to your friend or loved one.
The truth is addiction is lonely. Even when that person drinks or uses drugs with others. Even when someone isn’t ready for help, seeing that someone else cares and is listening to them matters.
It does make a difference. So don’t give up too easily, but remember to follow your mind as well as your heart. That means protecting yourself and managing your expectations.
5 Practical Ways to Support Someone Struggling with Addiction
- Frame the conversation: Avoid blame or guilt tripping. Try to table your emotions. Explain that it’s not you vs. them. It’s you and them vs. their addiction. You’re on the same side!
- Keep conversations supportive: Listen with patience, encourage small steps forward, and avoid judgmental language.
- Understand that recovery is about care: Emphasize that treatment is designed to restore health and stability, not to punish.
- Notice when professional help is needed: Pay attention to warning signs that addiction is worsening and be ready to suggest formal treatment.
- Face the reality of the situation: Accepting that addiction is present is the first step toward meaningful change.
Helping Someone With Addiction: Where to Begin
Begin with love and respect. Even if the person you want to help with addiction has done some awful things and doesn’t seem like they deserve it right now. There will be a time for amends and repairing bridges—it isn’t now.
Right now the MOST important thing is keeping the lines of communication open. You do that by letting that person feel seen and heard. By letting them feel safe in opening up to you whenever they are ready.
Addiction is an illness that affects the brain and body, not a flaw in character or a matter of willpower. When friends and family respond with compassion instead of criticism, it can ease shame and open the door to healing. Helping someone with addiction begins by recognizing the signs and creating space for honest conversation, free from judgment, blame, or stigma.
How Help Someone With Addiction: The Ground Rules
- Begin with love and respect, even if trust has been broken.
- Keep communication open so they feel safe and heard.
- Remember, addiction is a medical condition, not a moral failing.
- Compassion reduces shame and opens the door to healing.
- Become a safe place for them to share their heart.
We Accept Most Major Insurance Plans
Understanding insurance for treatment isn’t always straightforward, and we do our best to make the process easier. Our team has experience working directly with insurance providers and can guide you through what your plan may cover.
How to Spot the Signs of Addiction: Health and Behavior
Before starting what may be a tough conversation, it helps to have a clear reason to believe that a loved one may be struggling with substance use. It isn’t always obvious. Unless you’ve directly seen them using or discovered hidden drugs or alcohol, it can be hard to know for sure. Paying attention to changes in behavior and physical health can provide important clues.
Behavioral signs that may suggest a substance use disorder:
- Sudden secrecy, paranoia, or unusual defensiveness
- Noticeable shifts in energy, either hyperactive or unusually tired
- Money trouble or unexplained spending patterns
- New “friends” they avoid introducing to family or friends
- Loss of interest in activities, sports, or crafts they once enjoyed
- Withdrawing from supportive relationships or isolating themselves
Physical signs that may point to drug or alcohol misuse:
- Slurred or impaired speech
- Irregular sleep habits—too little or too much rest
- Persistent scratching of the skin, sometimes linked to opioid use
- Picking at the face or arms to the point of causing sores, often tied to meth use
- Bloodshot eyes or pupils that appear abnormally large or small
Understanding Addiction and the Role of Treatment
Addiction is a complex health condition that impacts both the brain and body. It interferes with a person’s ability to manage their use of drugs or alcohol, even when it causes serious harm to health, relationships, or everyday responsibilities. This struggle is not about weakness or poor choices. It’s a medical disorder that calls for compassion, professional care, and ongoing support.
Effective addiction treatment helps individuals step out of the cycle of dependence. Through therapy, peer connection, and structured support, people learn healthier ways to cope, rebuild trust, and restore stability in their lives. Recovery is a gradual process, but with the right resources, it is possible to regain control and create a future that feels purposeful and sustainable.
Addiction treatment may include:
- Detox and stabilization
- Counseling to uncover and address root causes
- Support from peers and family members
- Therapeutic tools for managing stress and triggers
- Structure and accountability to sustain recovery
What if the Person I Want To Help With Addiction Refuses Help?
Remember earlier we mentioned managing your expectations? Here’s where that comes into play. Even if you do a “perfect” job trying to help someone with addiction, there are no guarantees. It’s important to accept that your loved one or friend might reject your offer of help in getting into rehab.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out of options though.
What to know if the person refuses help for addiction:
- The “no” is likely temporary, but use your best judgment. If you think the person is a danger to themselves, engaging in high-risk behavior, you may not want to wait.
- Your next option is to stage an intervention, which can be staged by a well-organized group of loved ones using a good intervention book, like Love First: A Family’s Guide to Intervention by Jeff and Debra Jay
- The final option is to petition the court to force someone into rehab. Whether or not you can do this depends on your state’s laws and there is a process involved. It should be used only as a last resort.
When is it time for an Intervention?
Only you can decide when it’s time for an addiction intervention, but the time to start thinking about it is when all other efforts to help the person have failed. Intervention is often the last step when a loved one refuses help.
The goal is to “raise their bottom” by setting firm boundaries and presenting treatment as the path of least resistance. Successful intervention depends on everyone holding the line together, and working with a professional interventionist greatly improves the chances of lasting change.
Can I force someone to go to rehab for addiction?
It’s possible, yes, but forcing someone into treatment should only be considered after every effort to talk openly and encourage voluntary help has failed. Families are urged to try an intervention first, if possible, ideally led by a certified professional. Experienced interventionists often succeed in helping loved ones accept the need for rehab and take that first step toward recovery.
When interventions don’t achieve the desired outcome, certain states provide a legal option. In Florida, for example, the Marchman Act allows families to petition the court for mandatory treatment if a person’s safety is at risk and they are unable to recognize their own need for care.
Florida’s Marchman Act
In Florida the law is called The Hal S. Marchman Alcohol and Other Drug Services Act of 1993 (Florida Statute 397.693) or “The Marchman Act”. In short, the person must “Have lost the power of self‑control with respect to substance use.” and “Be likely to cause physical harm to themselves or others” or “Be unable to appreciate their need for addiction services or make rational decisions about treatment”. You will also need three adults with personal knowledge of your loved one’s addiction. The Marchman Act petition is filed with the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the person resides or is located.
About Reprieve Recovery Addiction Treatment in West Palm Beach, FL
At Reprieve Recovery Center, we focus on creating treatment plans that reflect each person’s needs. Our goal is to provide care that supports lasting recovery, using a mix of therapies and approaches that encourage a healthy, substance-free life. Call us at (561) 783-3431 for help today.
