Key takeaway
You are scared for someone who will not go. Tonight you can call 911 if they are in danger, call or text 988, and ask whether a mobile crisis team can come to them. Tomorrow, a lawyer can tell you what commitment law allows where they live. If they will talk, keep the door open for voluntary care.
Last updated: Mon Oct 05 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
You are watching someone you love disappear into drinking or drug use, and they will not go. You called because you hoped someone could make them go. A referral line cannot force that. Tonight still has a few things you can do.
If they might hurt themselves or someone else, if they will not wake, or if they are overdosing, call 911.
If the danger is a mental health or substance use crisis and not that emergency, call or text 988. You can call because you are worried about a loved one. Ask whether a mobile crisis team can come to where the person is. Those teams are clinicians and peers who meet people in the community, so the first response is not automatically the police or a hospital. SAMHSA's 988 FAQ says this kind of team is not available everywhere yet. If your community has one, use it. If it does not, stay on the line and ask what it does have.
Tomorrow, and the door you can leave open
In the morning, call a lawyer or the clerk at the local court and ask how a commitment case starts where this person lives. A family member can typically file. The form and the timeline are state law, and they differ. Ask the lawyer to read the statute in force now, including whether your state has a separate law for substance use.
Families often expect the drug use itself to be enough. Usually it is not. Commitment means a judge orders hospital care, or supervised treatment outside a hospital, and only when the person has a serious mental disorder and meets the other legal tests. A 2019 report prepared for SAMHSA found that every state requires that mental illness, and that the usual definition leaves substance use disorders out. A mental illness next to the drug use can still be real. Some states have other laws. The report is from 2019, so ask the lawyer what the statute says today where your person lives.
Drug court, probation, and parole are criminal cases. The court-ordered guide is that path. If the person is a minor, say so. The rules are different, and a lawyer needs to know.
If they will still talk to you, leave the voluntary door open while you sort the legal one. Offer a ride. Sit with them and look at FindTreatment.gov if they will. There is a guide for the conversation when they do not want help, and another on how to look for treatment. If a program will not say whether they are there, ask your person to sign a release that names you. The privacy guide is why staff go quiet.
Most mental health care is voluntary. Most states also prefer the least restrictive setting that still meets the need, so a hospital is not the automatic answer. Ask the lawyer about that, too.
Call or text (800) 653-9376 if they are willing to look at treatment and you want help finding programs.
Additional Resources
Sources cited on this page:
- Civil Commitment and the Mental Health Care Continuum (2019 report prepared for SAMHSA)
- SAMHSA: 988 frequently asked questions
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov
- SmarterRecovery about page (referral disclosure)
Common Questions
What can I do in the next hour?
If they might hurt themselves or someone else, will not wake, or are overdosing, call 911. If it is a mental health or substance use crisis and not that emergency, call or text 988. You can call because you are worried about someone you love. Ask whether a mobile crisis team can come to where they are. Those teams are not available in every community.
Can a referral line have them committed?
No. Commitment is a court process under state law. A family member, a clinician, an officer, or a court official is who typically starts it, and the details differ. Call a lawyer or the local court tomorrow and ask for the current form where the person lives.
Does a drug problem, by itself, usually qualify?
In the usual civil-commitment standard summarized in a 2019 report prepared for SAMHSA, mental illness is required in every state, and that definition usually leaves out substance use disorders. Some states have other statutes. A lawyer has to read the one in force where your person lives. Drug court is a criminal case, not this process.
Will a mobile crisis team haul them to a hospital?
SAMHSA describes mobile crisis as care in the community, meant to reduce unnecessary hospitalization. Most people with suicidal thoughts do not need involuntary transport. If the risk is immediate and other efforts fail, hospitalization can still happen. The team is supposed to try to work with the person's preference.
What if they might accept help tomorrow?
Keep that door open. Offer a ride. Look at FindTreatment.gov together if they will. The guide for someone who does not want help is the conversation side. Willingness can change. You do not have to pretend tonight that you can force it.