Is it ok if I just wait to see what happens if my loved one is suffering from a substance use or mental health disorder?

In this video, I want to talk to you about a conversation I had with a family the other day referred to me. After we chatted about potentially doing a Marchman Act or a Guardianship, they said they’re just going to wait and see how things go. It’s the family’s choice, and I certainly understand that sometimes, when families call us, they’re just not ready to do things.

I’m sharing this with you because of the idea that waiting for things to change for the better is not going to happen. There’s a couple of things I know from hundreds of cases we’ve seen and worked on and the thousands of parents that we’ve spoken to. Some things are very consistent—substance use and mental illness only get worse with time. They usually do not get better unless they go to treatment and stay in treatment long enough to achieve and maintain long-term sobriety. If they don’t go to treatment, they can only end up in prison or the morgue.

I’ve shared in other videos last year that we lost three people, but I’m not going to get into the details. That’s just the nature of what we do. I’m probably the only lawyer in the country who gets calls at least once a year from a family who’s lost a loved one because of substance use or mental illness, so please do not wait for these diseases to worsen.

Thank you! Take care and be safe.