Can I Get Addiction Help For My Son?
Yes, you can get effective addiction help for your son through various treatment options including 7-day detox programs, 28-day inpatient rehab, outpatient therapy, and family intervention services. If your son is struggling with drugs or alcohol, professional help is available and recovery is possible with the right approach and support system.
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Is your son addicted to drugs or alcohol? Do you have constant worries that you are going to pick up the phone to hear that he is in hospital, has been arrested, or worse? Below you will find guidance to help tackle your son’s addiction and get him the treatment he needs.
How Can I Help My Drug or Alcohol Addicted Son?
The first step to helping your addicted son is getting him to admit there’s a problem, followed by choosing the appropriate treatment program based on his age, addiction severity, and personal circumstances. This process requires patience, boundaries, and professional guidance to be effective.
What Treatment Options Are Available for My Son's Addiction?
Treatment options for your son include 7-day detox programs, 14-day intensive therapy courses, 28-day comprehensive rehab, and 90-day extended recovery programs. The choice depends on his addiction severity and personal needs.
| Program Length | Best For | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| 7-day detox | Physical withdrawal management | Medical supervision, detox medication |
| 14-day program | Mild to moderate addiction | Detox + basic therapy sessions |
| 28-day rehab | Standard addiction treatment | Detox, CBT therapy, group sessions |
| 90-day program | Severe addiction/multiple relapses | Comprehensive therapy, life skills training |
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Additional treatment components:
- Alcohol/drug detox with medical supervision
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
- One-to-one professional counselling
- Group therapy sessions
- Nutrition and exercise programs
- Family therapy inclusion
Does My Son's Age Affect His Treatment Options?
Your son’s age significantly impacts treatment approaches – underage sons can be taken directly to a GP for medical intervention, while adult sons require consent and different legal considerations. Age determines both the authority you have and the treatment pathways available.
For underage sons:
- Take him directly to your GP for medical assessment
- GP can explain addiction’s health impacts
- Access to youth-specific treatment programs
- Parental authority in treatment decisions
For adult sons:
- Requires his consent for treatment
- Consider inviting him home during outpatient rehab
- Focus on supportive rather than controlling behavior
- Respect his autonomy while offering help
How Do I Communicate With My Addicted Son About Getting Help?
Keep communication lines open by being supportive rather than judgmental, while clearly expressing your concerns and willingness to help with treatment. Maintaining dialogue is crucial – if he’s talking to you, you can still influence his recovery journey.
Effective communication strategies:
- Listen without immediately offering solutions
- Avoid blame and accusatory language
- Express love while acknowledging the problem
- Offer specific help (like researching treatment centers)
- Share information about recovery success stories
What Boundaries Should I Set With My Addicted Son?
Set clear boundaries about financial support, living arrangements, and acceptable behavior while still offering emotional support for his recovery efforts. Boundaries protect both you and prevent enabling his addiction.
Essential boundaries to establish:
- No money lending without proof of recovery efforts
- Clear expectations for living in your home
- Consequences for drug/alcohol use on your property
- Requirements for respectful communication
- Conditions for ongoing support
Remember: boundaries aren’t punishment – they’re protection for both of you and guidelines for healthy relationships.
Should I Stage an Intervention for My Son's Addiction?
Staging an intervention can be highly effective when done professionally, involving close family and friends to confront your son with the reality of his addiction and offer immediate treatment options. Interventions work best when combined with pre-arranged treatment programs.
Intervention planning steps:
- Gather his support network – close family and friends
- Document specific incidents – how addiction has affected relationships
- Research treatment options – have programs ready to offer
- Rehearse the approach – practice what each person will say
- Present united front – show collective concern and love
- Offer immediate help – have treatment arranged and ready
Psychological studies show interventions significantly increase the likelihood of addicted individuals entering treatment programs.
What Are the Warning Signs That My Son Needs Immediate Help?
Immediate help is needed if your son shows signs of severe withdrawal, violent behavior, suicidal thoughts, or has been missing for extended periods. These situations require emergency intervention rather than waiting for him to agree to treatment.
Emergency warning signs:
- Physical symptoms: Severe shaking, seizures, hallucinations
- Behavioral changes: Violence, threats, complete personality changes
- Mental health crisis: Suicidal statements, complete despair
- Dangerous situations: Driving under influence, missing for days
Immediate action steps:
- Call emergency services if life-threatening
- Contact our helpline for crisis guidance
- Remove access to vehicles and harmful substances
- Consider emergency psychiatric evaluation
How Do I Avoid Enabling My Son's Addiction While Still Supporting Him?
Support his recovery efforts and personal growth while refusing to fund or facilitate his addiction through money, housing, or making excuses for his behavior. The difference lies in supporting the person versus supporting the addiction.
Supporting behaviors:
- Paying for treatment programs directly
- Providing healthy food and safe housing during recovery
- Attending family therapy sessions
- Helping with job searches after treatment
- Emotional support and encouragement
Enabling behaviors to avoid:
- Giving cash without accountability
- Making excuses for his behavior to others
- Paying bills he should handle (when not in treatment)
- Allowing drug/alcohol use in your home
- Bailing him out of legal consequences repeatedly
Where Can I Find Professional Help for My Son's Addiction?
Professional help is available through specialised addiction treatment centers offering inpatient rehab, outpatient programs, online therapy, and ongoing support services tailored to your son’s specific needs. Help4Addiction can connect you with appropriate local and national treatment options.
Available services:
- Inpatient alcohol/drug rehab – 24/7 supervised care
- Outpatient programs – flexibility to maintain responsibilities
- Online rehab therapy – accessible from home
- Ongoing support groups – peer connections and accountability
- Secondary treatment – long-term recovery maintenance
- Family therapy – healing relationships damaged by addiction
Getting started:
- Free consultation – discuss your son’s specific situation
- Treatment matching – find programs suited to his needs and your budget
- Logistics support – help with admissions and arrangements
- Family guidance – support for you throughout his recovery
What Should I Expect During My Son's Recovery Process?
Expect recovery to be a gradual process with potential setbacks, requiring ongoing family therapy, boundary maintenance, and long-term support rather than a quick fix. Recovery is a journey that affects the entire family system.
Typical recovery timeline:
- Week 1-2: Detox and initial stabilisation
- Week 3-4: Beginning therapy and skills development
- Month 2-3: Deeper therapeutic work and family involvement
- Month 4+: Transition planning and aftercare setup
Your role during recovery:
- Participate in family therapy sessions
- Learn about addiction as a disease
- Practice new communication skills
- Rebuild trust gradually
- Support but don’t control his choices
Remember: taking care of an addict is exhausting, but if you can help turn your son’s life around, it will be worthwhile. Help4Addiction can find him a treatment program and ensure you don’t have to go through this alone.
Ready to take the next step? Contact us today for a free consultation about your son’s addiction treatment options.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I help my son quit drugs?
How do I help my son quit drinking?
Can I call someone for help about my addicted son?
You can call us here at Help4Addiction, or you can see your doctor for more information.
What are the signs that your son is an addict?
If you notice any of the signs of addiction, you should talk to your child about drugs. They might be unable to focus, act shiftily, or become obsessive about spending time outside with their friends. Try keeping them home for a few days and see if they experience withdrawal symptoms.
What are the symptoms that my son is going through withdrawal?
Alcohol and drug withdrawal are both similar. Look out for insomnia, vomiting or nausea, an upset stomach, aches and pains or shaking.
How can you tell if your son is using drugs or alcohol?
If they spend all of their money on drugs or alcohol, experience frequent and radical mood shifts, and regularly spend all night out with their friends, then they might have a drug problem.
How can you stop your son using drugs or alcohol?
You can send him to rehab, intervene with some therapy, or ask your GP for help.
How to convince your child to stop using drugs?
If you have a chat with your son about the drug use and they don’t change, stage an intervention. If that doesn’t work, consider sending them to a residential rehab clinic for their own good.
Am I enabling my son?
If you are giving them help to buy drugs or alcohol, even though they are suffering from an addiction, then you are an enabler.
How do I stop enabling my addicted son?
You need to learn to say no to anything that feels like it is an abuse of your love for him. It is as simple and as difficult as that.
Sources
[iii] https://www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/rules/keep-responsibility.html
[iv] https://www.verywellmind.com/things-to-stop-if-you-love-an-alcoholic-67300
[vii] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1066480719871968
[viii] https://dictionary.apa.org/reality-testing
[ix] https://www.healthline.com/health-news/people-with-drug-addictions-forced-into-rehab
[x] https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-stop-enabling-an-alcoholic-63083
About Author
Nicholas Conn
Nicholas Conn is a leading industry addiction expert who runs the UK’s largest addiction advisory service and is regularly featured in the national press, radio and TV. He is the founder and CEO of a drug and alcohol rehab center called Help4addiction, which was founded in 2015. He has been clean himself since 2009 and has worked in the Addiction and Rehab Industry for over a decade. Nick is dedicated to helping others recover and get treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. In 2013, he released a book ‘The Thin White’ line that is available on Amazon.
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