Opinion: Listen: Why forced treatment can’t fix substance use disorder
When a loved one is living with serious substance use disorder and refuses to get help, sometimes it seems like the only solution is to force them into it. In many states, people can be “arrescued” — that is, forced under penalty of law into a treatment program that is nearly identical to being incarcerated, down to orange jumpsuits. It’s an idea that David Sheff, who wrote “Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction,” recently advocated for a guest essay in the New York Times. “Those who love people with substance use disorders have a difficult choice: Do something, even if it’s deeply unpleasant and may not ultimately work, or risk their loved one’s death,” he argued.
But Sarah Wakeman, an addiction medicine physician who serves as the medical director for substance use disorder at Mass General Brigham in the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, says that while she understands the love and sorrow that make people see involuntary treatment as a solution, it doesn’t actually work.
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