Getting Your Sister Into Drug Rehab | Do’s & Don’ts

When your sister battles substance use disorder (drug addiction), it’s normal to experience fear, sadness, and other difficult emotions. However, you don’t have to feel hopeless. Instead, you can help your sister seek addiction treatment so she can build a healthy, drug-free life. Here’s how.

Do Show Compassion

People with addiction face a great deal of stigma. They’re often judged as weak, selfish, or immoral. As a result, your sister might feel uncomfortable discussing her disease. 

Make it easier by treating her compassion and avoiding any type of judgment. Emphasize the fact that you understand addiction is a health condition and not a negative reflection on her character.

Listen To Her Perspective

You should also listen to your sister’s perspective on her behavior. She may explain why she started misusing drugs in the first place. 

The most common reasons include peer pressure, childhood trauma, and untreated mental health problems. When you express interest in your sister’s story, she will likely feel more comfortable talking about her addiction. 

Do Visit Support Groups

It’s not easy to support a loved one with addiction. As you work toward getting your sister into treatment, your own mental health may suffer. That’s why you should consider visiting a support group for people supporting family members with addiction. The most popular groups include:

• Nar-Anon
• Al-Anon, which focuses on alcohol addiction
• SMART Recovery Family & Friends
• Families Anonymous

In these groups, you can connect with people facing similar challenges. You can also get advice from those who have successfully helped their loved ones get into rehab. 

Similarly, your sister may benefit from support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), SMART Recovery, or Women for Sobriety, especially if she finds the idea of rehab overwhelming. 

In these safe, supportive environments, she can start the recovery process and learn what to expect from rehab. 

Do Attend Family Therapy

Like a support group, family therapy can help prepare your sister for rehab. The therapist can explain your sister’s treatment options and help her accept that she needs treatment.

In addition, if your other family members join you, family therapy can be a great place for everyone to express concerns, resolve conflicts, and strengthen relationships. 

The therapist can also teach you and your family members how to best support your sister throughout treatment. With a strong, healthy support system, she’ll have a much easier time in rehab.

Do Stage An Intervention

If your sister refuses professional help or denies she has an addiction, consider staging an intervention. An intervention is a planned discussion in which you explain how someone’s addiction has affected you and urge them to seek treatment. 

Ask your sister’s other loved ones to join the intervention. Each person should provide specific examples of how your sister’s addiction has harmed her and those she loves. 

Prepare Treatment Plan

You should also prepare a treatment plan that you want your sister to follow. 

An effective plan includes evidence-based treatment services such as medical detox, behavioral therapy, and medication-assisted treatment (MAT). For more help planning a successful intervention, contact a mental health professional or professional interventionist. 

Don’t Shame Her

You must treat your sister with compassion. In most cases, shaming her for her addiction will only make her hide or deny her addiction. She may even stop talking to you completely. 

That’s why you should always keep your tone nonjudgmental, even when expressing how your sister’s addiction has affected you or urging her to seek treatment. Explain that you don’t blame her for her disease. Instead, you simply want to help her get healthy again.

Don’t Enable Her

Enabling means acting in a way that allows your sister’s addiction to continue. For example, you might:

• downplay or make excuses for her drug use
• give her money for drugs
• let her live in your home rent-free if she spends all her money on drugs
• bail her out of jail for a drug-related crime

These behaviors might seem like acts of love. However, they prevent your sister from facing the consequences of her addiction. Without consequences, she’s much less likely to seek treatment. Indeed, many people only agree to rehab after they hit rock bottom.

Don’t Confront Her When She’s Stressed

Before talking to your sister about rehab, choose the right time and place. In particular, make sure your sister is feeling calm and relaxed. If she’s stressed, she may refuse to talk about her addiction or even lash out at you. 

You should also ensure you have plenty of time to explain your concerns and listen to your sister’s responses. 

Don’t Neglect Your Own Needs

When focused on a family member with addiction, some people forget about self-care. 

In other words, you may spend so much time worrying about your sister that you neglect your basic needs, such as sleeping, eating, and socializing. This behavior will take a serious toll on your mental and physical health.

While helping your sister seek treatment, try to eat plenty of nutritious foods, get at least seven hours of sleep per night, and exercise multiple times a week. Also, spend time with your friends and other family members. 

When you care for yourself, you’ll find it much easier to care for your sister.

To learn more about rehab, please reach out to an Ark Behavioral Health specialist. Our inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment programs offer personalized, evidence-based care to help you or your loved one thrive.