Court Ordered Cocaine Abuse Treatment Can Save Lives

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, overall costs to society of substance abuse add up to at least $600 billion every year. That includes the costs of lost productivity, losses due to crime, and health care related costs. Though these numbers are mind-boggling, anyone who loves an addict can tell you that the real costs are much greater in terms of family grief, school or career failure, child abuse, and domestic violence. Alcohol addiction alone costs society around $235 billion a year plus the terrible costs that families pay. Fortunately there are options for court ordered alcohol abuse intervention and other measures that can save lives. Have You Tried Everything to Get Help for a Loved One? When you love someone who is addicted to alcohol or drugs, you feel like you would do anything to have back the person you have known and loved. Families and friends can do their best to encourage an addict to get help, but unless the addict himself or herself makes the decision to enter treatment, that encouragement is usually in vain. In the state of Florida, however, a law known as the Florida Marchman Act is a way of legally compelling a person to get the help they need, whether it's court ordered cocaine abuse treatment, court ordered alcohol abuse intervention, or treatment for other devastating addictions. The Florida Marchman Act Can Help Under this law, family and / or friends of an addict can legally compel their loved one to be evaluated as to whether intervention is needed. If so, a judge can issue a court order for the person to be sent to detox and then be reevaluated for longer term treatment for their addiction. If the addict is ordered to enter treatment and either refuses or leaves treatment before completing the program, he or she can be jailed or sent back to treatment immediately. It is a drastic step, but sometimes it is necessary to save a person's life. Why It's Best to Have the Assistance of an Attorney When you invoke the Florida Marchman Act, the person you are trying to help will be assigned an attorney to argue against their being forced into treatment. You are not required to have an attorney to represent your interests, but many individuals find the process complicated, and missing a deadline or not completing a form properly can derail the process. Having an attorney representing your interests will ensure that all technicalities are met and that the case will be decided based on the merits. Sometimes Drastic Measures Are Required Using the Florida Marchman Act to compel a loved one into court ordered treatment is a drastic measure, but unfortunately, without this option, some addicts will not get treatment, further devastating families and sometimes resulting in permanent disability or even death. If you have tried everything else and failed to get your loved one into treatment, then you do have this option, and it could end up saving an addict's life.