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Florida Drug & Alcohol Addiction Attorney

Is a family member dealing with a serious drug or alcohol addiction? Do you want to understand whether there is a legal way to intervene? At Astor Simovitch Law, our team of drug and alcohol addiction attorneys is ready to help you identify the best legal path to support your loved one and help them achieve stability.

When addiction takes over your loved one’s life, it can leave you in an overwhelming and stressful situation. Perhaps you’ve tried talking with them, setting boundaries, or encouraging treatment. Perhaps your loved one denies there is a problem or repeatedly refuses help. You may be watching their health, relationships, and finances deteriorate while wondering what your family can legally do to intervene and help them find stability and recovery.

Book a confidential consultation with our experienced and compassionate team to find out the best legal way to intervene in a battle with drugs and alcohol.

Intervening on Your Loved One’s Behalf

Addiction can leave families in an impossible position where you can see the problem clearly. Still, your loved one may deny it, refuse treatment, or repeatedly leave programs designed to help them. Common instances, such as repeated relapses, increasingly dangerous or unpredictable behavior, and leaving treatment prematurely, can add a lot of stress to an already stressful situation.

Thankfully, legal tools can help you intervene on your loved one’s behalf, and you don’t have to wait for them to ask for help.

Marchman Act

Does your loved one need to be brought into treatment despite refusing help?

The Marchman Act allows families in Florida to petition the court for involuntary assessment and treatment when a loved one refuses help or denies the seriousness of their addiction. A Marchman Act attorney helps you navigate this process.

The Marchman Act is Florida’s legal framework for addressing substance abuse when an individual refuses to seek help or does not recognize the need for treatment. The process allows a family member or qualifying petitioner, such as a medical professional, to ask the court to intervene. Certain legal requirements must be met for a court to order assessment and treatment without relying on voluntary agreement.

Essentially, when an individual struggling with drug or alcohol addiction needs treatment but refuses to get it, the Marchman Act allows for legal intervention. A drug addiction lawyer can help you petition for this intervention and support your loved one on their journey to recovery.

Guardianship

Has your loved one’s addiction progressed to the point where they can no longer make important decisions for themselves?

Guardianship grants a family member legal authority to make important medical, financial, or legal decisions on their loved one’s behalf when they can no longer make considered decisions themselves. A guardianship attorney helps with this process, making sure everyone’s rights are protected.

If drug or alcohol addiction has left your loved one unable to make important decisions or safely manage their affairs, an addiction attorney can help assess whether temporary emergency or longer-term guardianship may be appropriate. The best solution depends on the circumstances, but guardianship can provide family members with the legal authority to act on their loved one’s behalf.

How Can Our Team of Drug Addiction Attorneys Assist?

At Astor Simovitch, we offer a range of legal services to help your loved ones find the best path to recovery and stability while protecting family relationships and supporting their well-being.

Through our Marchman Act, guardianship, and criminal defense legal services we can help by:

• Reviewing your family’s circumstances
• Exploring available legal options
• Determining which intervention is best suited
• Preparing legal documents and petitions
• Representing families and loved ones in court
• Communicating with court officials and relevant professionals
• Coordinating with treatment professionals and facilities

Don’t Wait for the Situation To Get Worse

Waiting for addiction to fix itself very seldom works out for the best. Instead, families spend months or even years trying to persuade a loved one to get the help that they need, while grappling with feelings of shame, fear, denial, and repeated failed attempts at treatment. In the end, families can feel powerless and uncertain about the best steps forward.

Seeking legal advice is not the first step. It is the next step in intervention, helping you understand your options and find the best path forward for your loved one and your family.

There is no obligation to take follow-up legal action. Instead, speaking with legal counsel is an effective way to determine the options available and how they can help your loved one on the path to recovery.

Legal Avenues for Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Florida

In Florida, there are two main legal avenues for addressing drug and alcohol addiction, which our attorneys are experienced in helping families navigate.

• If your loved one has a substance use disorder and refuses treatment, or does not recognize that they need treatment, the Marchman Act is a legal option to explore.
• If your loved one can no longer safely manage important personal or financial affairs, or your family needs legal authority to act on their behalf, then guardianship may be a better legal option to explore.

If you are uncertain about which situation applies, our experienced addiction attorneys at Astor Simovitch Law can help you determine the best legal path for your family.