10 Common Excuses For Not Going To Rehab

It takes a lot of effort to get an addict or alcoholic to even have a conversation about going to rehab. When the conversation finally happens they usually have a million excuses about why they don’t need to or can’t go. Excuses for not going to rehab can range from something that sounds legitimate like “I can’t leave my kids” to something as absurd as “I don’t have a drug problem.” The reason addicts and alcoholics give excuses for not going to rehab is actually because they are afraid. They don’t want to leave what they know, I mean who really does?

Here are 10 common excuses for not going to rehab; some of which you may have heard or even said before.

“I don’t need rehab because I could stop if I really wanted to. I just don’t want to.”

This excuse is very common for not going to rehab. Unfortunately this excuse is full of denial, the thing about this excuse for not going to rehab is the person who said it actually believes it. Addicts and alcoholics actually believe that if they really got serious about quitting drugs and alcohol they could and they would. The catch? They may never get to the point of seriously wanting to quit and even if they did they probably couldn’t stop.

“I can’t leave my job to go to rehab, I will get fired.”

This sounds like a good excuse not to go to rehab but it isn’t. Anyone who uses this as an excuse for not going to rehab is really just saying they don’t want to stop getting high or drunk. How do we know this? Well, any addict or alcoholic who continues drinking and using drugs to excess is going to end up losing their job regardless and most addicts and alcoholics who are ready to go to rehab realize this and know the job can wait.

“What about my kids? I can’t leave them.”

This excuse sounds so legitimate many people believe it. The truth about this excuse for not going to rehab is that the addict or alcoholic is bringing up their kids out of actual thought for the kids, they are on the right track though, but they are bringing up the kids as a way to help themselves. It sounds terrible but it is the truth. The reality is if an addict or alcoholic doesn’t get help they are going to end up damaging their family even more and possibly losing their kids anyways. Not only that but if they continue using and drinking they won’t really be there for their children in the long run because they will never be present.

“I’m not an addict.”

If a person has to tell you they are not an addict because you are having a conversation with them about rehab, chances are this excuse is just that, an excuse. People who are not addicts and alcoholics never end up having conversations about going to rehab and never even have to come close to saying the words “I am not an addict.”

“I can’t leave my significant other.”

Chances are if an addict or alcoholic doesn’t leave their significant other to go to rehab, their significant other will end up leaving them. Like some of the other excuses this is just one excuse for not going to rehab that actually means “I don’t want to go, I am not done getting high or drunk.”

“It isn’t as bad as you think it is.”

In the eyes of an alcoholic and addict it really isn’t that bad. This is because they have met people and seen places that truly are a lot worse. Is this a good excuse for not going to rehab though? Absolutely not, they may be speaking the truth that it isn’t as bad as you think it is but it definitely is bad enough for them to go to rehab. The idea of doing well or doing poorly is not the same in addict or alcoholic’s mind like it is in someone who doesn’t suffer from the disease. The idea of doing good and bad is warped and jaded. I mean doing badly to an alcoholic or addict means homeless, in an alleyway, shooting up etc.

“I have to go to… (insert some big event for job, wedding, kids graduation, etc. here)”

Once again this is just another one of those tangible things that makes a great excuse for not going to rehab when really there is a high chance if an addict or alcoholic is still drinking or using they won’t make it to the big event to begin with.

“I can’t afford to go to rehab.”

Luckily for the addict and alcoholic who cannot afford rehab there are rehabs that will offer scholarships, payment plans, and then there are even rehabs that are free. If an addict or alcoholic can’t afford rehab chances are there are ways to make it affordable. Pus, an addict and alcoholic always manages to find money for booze and drugs but not for rehab? That is why this is just an excuse for not going to rehab.

“I am happier when I am on drugs or drinking.”

This is a classic denial statement. The mind is so powerful in an addict and alcoholic that it has convinced them that they are only happy when they are using when in all reality they are most likely miserable. Addicts and alcoholics do have good times when they are using or drinking but those times begin to get more scarce but their mind only focuses on the fewer and farther between good times.

“Rehab doesn’t work for me, I have been before.”

Most of the time if rehab doesn’t work it has less to do with the facility and more to do with the addict and alcoholic themselves. This is a very common excuse for not going to rehab, used by someone who has been before. Things change and people change, which means their experience in rehab may be different this time around. It is not that rehab doesn’t work for people it is that people don’t want to work to become rehabilitated.

These are 10 common excuses used for not going to rehab and they must all be seen for what they are; an addict or alcoholic’s fear of chance and that fear is okay but it should not stop them from getting the help they need. If you or your loved one needs drug and alcohol rehab than no more excuses it is time to break through the denial and give yourself a shot at a better life because now the excuses for why you don’t want to have a better life aren’t working.

If you or your loved one is in need of treatment for alcohol or drug addiction please give us a call at 800-951-6135.