Can You Force Someone Into Therapy? Facts, Legal Aspects, and the Psychology of Coercion in Addiction Treatment

This is one of the most difficult questions families of people struggling with addiction ask:

“Can we force them into treatment?”
“Is it possible to send someone to therapy against their will?”

Behind this question there is usually not anger, but deep exhaustion, fear, and helplessness. Loved ones can see the situation becoming increasingly dangerous — while the addicted person continues to insist that nothing is wrong.

Let’s look at this issue honestly — both from a legal perspective and from the psychology of addiction treatment.
 

Why do families start thinking about forced treatment?

Most often, this happens when all other options seem to have failed:

• conversations no longer work,

• requests are ignored,

• promises of change quickly disappear,

• the situation begins to threaten health or even life.

Families reach a point where love becomes mixed with fear — and a natural desire appears to “save” the person at any cost.
 

Can someone be legally forced into treatment in Poland?

In certain situations — yes, but primarily in cases of alcohol addiction, and only through a court procedure.

Legal action may be initiated when an addicted person:

• causes serious disruption to family life,

• negatively influences minors,

• neglects family responsibilities,

• disturbs public order.

In such cases, a municipality or family members may submit a request to the court for mandatory addiction treatment.

When it comes to drug addiction, the legal situation is different — treatment is usually based on the voluntary decision of the addicted person.
 

But the most important question is different: does coercion actually work?

From a therapeutic perspective, the answer is complex.

You can bring someone to therapy.But you cannot force them into internal change.

Recovery begins when even a small level of readiness appears:

• curiosity,

• exhaustion with current life,

• a desire for relief,

• hope that life could be different.

Coercion may sometimes start the process — but it rarely becomes its foundation.
 

Why do addicted individuals often refuse treatment?

It is not always stubbornness or lack of awareness.

Addiction changes the way a person thinks:

• the problem is minimized,

• consequences seem manageable,

• an illusion of control appears,

• treatment feels like losing everything familiar.

For many people struggling with addiction, therapy represents a deep fear of the unknown.
 

What works better than pressure?

Paradoxically, the most effective actions are those that increase the addicted person’s responsibility for their own decisions.

Helpful approaches include:

• setting clear boundaries,

• consistency instead of threats,

• speaking about personal feelings rather than accusations,

• seeking support for yourself as a family member.

Sometimes the turning point is not pressure, but experiencing the real consequences of one’s own choices.
 

The line between helping and rescuing

Families often take on too much responsibility:

• paying debts,

• making excuses,

• protecting the person from consequences.

These actions come from love — yet unintentionally may prolong the addiction.

Real help begins where rescuing ends.
 

When is intervention necessary?

There are situations that require decisive action:

• risk to life or health,

• serious medical problems,

• violence,

• complete loss of behavioral control.

In such moments, consulting professionals can help determine the safest form of support.
 

Therapy begins with relationship, not coercion

In addiction treatment centers, an important pattern is often observed: people who initially enter treatment under pressure from loved ones sometimes begin to make their own decision to change over time.

This becomes a turning point.

Because real change does not happen when someone has to stop — but when they begin to want to live differently.
 

If you are a family member of someone struggling with addiction

Your exhaustion and helplessness are understandable.Seeking help is not a failure — it is an act of care.

A conversation with a specialist can help you find a path between pressure and helplessness, and discover possibilities that may not have been visible before.

The Monar Center in Kębliny near Łódź supports both people struggling with addiction and their loved ones — because addiction treatment never concerns just one person.