For families
Sometimes the person searchingisn’t the personusing the substance.
If you are reading this for someone you love, you are already doing something useful. Here is what actually helps, what quietly makes things worse, and how to judge a centre on facts.
You cannot force recovery. You can make the next honest step easier to take.
How we can help you
Start a conversation
Choose a calm moment, speak about what you have seen, and offer one small concrete next step.
What not to say
Avoid labels, ultimatums you cannot keep, and arguments about how much they used.
Enabling versus supporting
Support moves a person towards care. Enabling removes the consequences that make care feel necessary.
Compare care options
Use verified information and honest gaps instead of brochures, photographs and promises.
Prepare for treatment
Understand admission, consent, visiting, costs and how long a stay realistically lasts.
After discharge
Follow-up, relapse-prevention planning and looking after your own health for the long stretch.
Starting the conversation — do
- Pick a calm moment — not while the person is intoxicated, and not in the middle of a fight.
- Speak about what you have seen, not about what they are. “You slept through work three times this week” lands better than “you are an addict”.
- Say clearly that you are worried about their health, and that you are not going anywhere.
- Offer one concrete next step: seeing a doctor, or a single consultation.
- Accept a small yes. Agreeing to one appointment is progress.
Starting the conversation — avoid
- Do not threaten consequences you will not follow through on.
- Do not involve the whole extended family as an ambush unless a professional has planned it.
- Do not argue about how much they used or whether they “can stop anytime”.
- Do not use shame, comparisons, or the word addict as a label.
- Do not expect one conversation to settle it.
You are not alone
Thousands of families are working out the same thing this week. Look at what care actually exists near you, with honest gaps shown instead of hidden.
Find care for your loved oneAnswer as the family memberImportant questions to ask
- Who will assess my family member before any treatment starts?
- Which doctor is responsible for medical care, and what is their registration?
- Is withdrawal expected here, and how will it be managed medically?
- What therapies happen each week, and who delivers them?
- Can I see the full fee in writing, including what is charged separately?
- Can we visit, and can the person contact us during the stay?
- Under what circumstances can a person leave, and who signs that off?
- What does aftercare include, and for how many months?
When to seek urgent help
- Cannot be woken, or breathing is slow, shallow or noisy
- A seizure, fit or convulsion
- Chest pain, confusion, or a very high temperature
- Suspected overdose, or an unknown substance taken
- Any talk of, or attempt at, ending their life
These need immediate local emergency medical care, not a phone consultation. Read the emergency guidance
Questions families ask
Answer as the family member — the assessment works either way
You do not need the person's permission to understand the situation better or to learn what kind of care would be appropriate.
RehabSetu does not diagnose. It helps you understand your next step. In an urgent or life-threatening situation, seek immediate local emergency medical care.