Q&A: How do I tell my son that he needs alcohol rehab?
Posted by editor on July 15, 2010 · 6 Comments
Question by ana f: How do I tell my son that he needs alcohol rehab?
My son, Matt, has been drinking since he was 16 and I would like him to be sober again. He’s not talking to me about it because he would say that I am not always around. And he’s also failing in school. I don’t even know who his friends are. He needs help and I don’t know how I can help him if he keeps pushing me away. Please tell me how I can convince him to get alcohol rehab.
Best answer:
Answer by charchar
Well he is a minor so right now you have the power. You can have it court ordered but it won’t work if he doesn’t’ really wants to quit. I don’t know what the answer is I work in a Juvenile Detention Center and I see this to many times everyday, they just in get deeper and deeper. It breaks my heart cause there is just no reaching them if they don’t want to be helped.
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I would have an intervention with him between you and other family members. Everyone set aside time to confront him on his drinking habits and ask him to go to rehab for help.
Make sure you tell him that you and the family will support him 100% and will do anything to help him straighten up his life.
Good luck to you and your son.
Contact your local police department every time you catch him drunk or drinking. Underage drinking is a crime punishable by a fine, jail time, loss of friends & family, loss of dignity, and early death due to alcohol poisoning and avoidable accidents. You can’t be his buddy, you have to be his parent. Get tough.
Teen alcoholics don’t just happen overnight. At first, teens turn to drinking for a lot of reasons, usually peer pressure, trouble in school, parents fighting or even a failed relationship. I guess the first step to get your son to alcohol rehab is to talk to him. He must be assured that he is not alone in dealing with his problems. And in your case, I think you should really talk to him about how and why he started drinking. Maybe he feels that alcohol is helping him when actually it’s not.
Alcoholism among teenagers is no longer just a domestic problem, it has been raised as a societal one. Parents, especially teenagers should be alarmed because in three of the reasons for juvenile death, alcoholism is the common culprit. Teenagers have been dying because of homicide, car crash and even suicide.
Although alcohol rehab is the most effective treatment for teen alcoholism, effective communication can help a lot, too. Most teenagers don’t feel comfortable in asking questions so it is best that their parents keep them informed. As they say, curiosity killed the cat. Parents should also know their own kid – where they go after school, who they are with and what their interests and problems are. It is also important that parents know how to listen instead of monopolizing the conversation. They should also have open minds to what their children would tell them. Keeping their cool and constantly having an open line of communication with their children will help build a healthier and stronger parent-child relationship.
There are a lot of rehab centers near you area which offer alcohol rehab for teens. I am sure you can find the best one for your son.
I wish you both the best.
My parents flat out told me..either straighten up or they would put me in it…i straightened up
There is no convincing. If he is under the age of eighteen you send him there. If he’s over the age of twenty-one you call the cops. That’s how you get him into alcohol rehab. It’s that simple. There’s no excuse for him to drink and no excuse fo you to allow it. You are the parent. You need to gain control. While he is there you need to work on your relationship. Visit him. Be there for him. Explain to him that you were wrong for not being there for him and that you really would like to change but you had to do what was in his best interest. Good Luck!
Screw you mom im not going to rehab!!