They Need To Want To Get Help:
Why do you always hear the question: "Do they want to get help?"

Families of untreated alcoholics and people with an addiction constantly hear this question, and it is a tough question to be asked. This is simply because a family member wants nothing more than for their loved one to get better. 

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Wanting something very much would cause anyone to develop a "can do" mindset and allow nothing to stand in their way. So when families of people with addiction want to help, they rarely accept that answer, that until their relative wants help, there is nothing they can do.

Unfortunately, as much as it is a harsh truth, it is the truth. 

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Why is it that way? 

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Let us break it down. Let us consider that any issue that causes unmanageability in a person's life can be called a disorder, a disease, a malady, or even an injury. 

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For each of these obstructions, let us call them, we have different cures. 

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Say you have a headache. This is a physical malady to which the cure is taking a pill. The pill will remove the headache within about a half hour. 

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Say you have a broken leg. In this case, a pill will remove the physical pain. However, more is needed to solve the problem. The problem will be solved through physical therapy and rehabilitation. In this case, you see a twofold cure. Both are important. 

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Say the disease is a mental one, such as bipolar disorder. In this case, there are also two cures. One is a pill or injection, and the other involves learning various tools of how to manage life on bipolar terms. Both are very helpful. 

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The common denominator in all diseases, maladies, injuries, or disorders is that the cures vary based on what works best. 

Now, about drug addiction. There are proven methods of success. An example of one is the 12 steps. They have been proven to be responsible for more than half of the world's recovered alcoholics. 

The first step is understanding that you have a problem and that your life has become unmanageable. This is the reason why a person with an addiction cannot get help unless he or she wants to get help. Getting to the conclusion that a person's life has become unmanageable is a place they need to get to. As they say, "You can bring a horse to the water, but you cannot make it drink." 

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The reason treatment centers ask this irritating question is not to make sure that they can show dominance and make you surrender before your family member joins. It is not a power move. It is simply how the cure for addiction works. 

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So, if you are a family member of a struggling drug addict, stay strong. Pray for your loved one, and take professional advice, but try to live your life. 

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Miracles do happen.