Every day we recieve e-mails asking for the name of a drug and alcohol rehab center that can "lock-up" a client for a period of time.  They are from a frantic and worried family member.  Then genuinely fear for the safety and health of their loved one.  Unfortunately this is a legal issue that cannot be addressed by a drug or alcohol rehab.  Only the courts have the authority to issue this kind of edict.  The vast majority of clients in a drug rehab are there on a voluntary basis.  People are not forced to stay.  When they demand to leave, we have to honour their wishes.  It is frustrating to all concerned when a client leaves before they are ready.  If you want to attempt to forcibly put a family member in a rehab you have to talk to a lawyer in your locality to see if it is even possible.

For the record, most clients to are given no choice but rehab seem to do much poorer.  That said, if you really feel that it is a life and death situation you have to take action.  Remember the legal system is slow, so you may be better served by dealing with a professional interventionist if time is of the essence.  The short answer to the question is that if the person you are worried about is the legal age in  the state you are in, it is quite difficult to force them into drug or alcohol rehab for any predetermined period of time.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007 at 9:36 am and is filed under Drug Rehab. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.