What do you do if someone you love is abusing drugs or alcohol and refuses to seek treatment? This was the situation Sharon Blair (pictured, far left) found herself in when she spent 13 years trying to get her daughter, Jennifer Reynolds (pictured, far right), treatment for prescription medication abuse. Unfortunately, Blair was not able to get her daughter the help she needed, and Reynolds died from a drug overdose in 2009. 

Blair lives in Florida, where a person who is abusing drugs or alcohol may be involuntarily committed to a detox program. Florida’s involuntary commitment law for addiction treatment requires that a relative or loved file a petition, pay a fee, and demonstrate the addict’s need for treatment. After meeting all of these requirements, the court may only order involuntary commitment for a maximum period of 72 hours.…