Intervention is the process of getting an addict to stop rejecting help and agree to go into a drug rehabilitation program to overcome his or her addiction. So many addicts completely resist the efforts of family and friends to get them to go into treatment and get off drugs or alcohol. In an intervention, the family and others who the addict respects gather together and meet with the addicted person. They work to present a united front to get the addict to change his mind and recognize his need for help.
The family often needs help in convincing a loved one that he or she must take action to handle an addiction. The person on drugs or alcohol has a lowered awareness and is quite numb to all the ruin they create in his own life as well as the lives of others. Usually the only thing of any importance to him is satisfying those intense cravings.
A person should have an intervention arranged when he is addicted to alcohol or illegal drugs or abuses prescription drugs and repeatedly refuses any kind of addiction treatment. Prior to the process of running an intervention, a full plan of action should be established. Once the person agrees to enter treatment, he must have a place to go immediately or he could quickly change his mind.
The person addicted to drugs or alcohol also may have been in other rehab programs and dreads the sickness of withdrawal and the pain experienced. He may also feel very guilty over the harm he has already caused and may not even feel he is worth the trouble. With such a low opinion of himself, his self-respect and personal values disappear. He uses more drugs or alcohol to blot out the misery. He needs support and help in overcoming his own resistance.
In reality, the addict does not really want to be one. No matter what he or she says, he knows down deep that this lifestyle is not how to live life. The addict has a desire lying there just below the surface to become sober again and in control of life. Intervention rekindles the desire for a drug-free life and brings the person to realize that those closest to him want to help.
Sometimes the family must get into “tough love.” They have to impose some penalties if the person doesn’t take action to shed his addiction. Some of these penalties can include no more living at home, no more money, no more bailing them out of jail. Refusal to help with food, housing, health care or jobs can make a real impact on the addict and have him really understand he must do something to change matters.
It doesn’t matter how many people are at the intervention. It is more important WHO attends. The most important person to attend is the one who the addict respects the most. Any family member who agrees the person needs help should be there, to show a united front on providing support for the right decision. No one should attend who is argumentative with the addict or antagonistic to him or his condition. No emotional outbursts will help anything. In fact, it could worsen the situation.
The best time to have an intervention done is when the addict is sober and not under the influence of any drugs. Many times the morning is the best time of day to do this. The person’s head should be as clear as possible so he can absorb what is happening, and hopefully get the impact of his actions on those he loves. He can then more easily agree to go to rehab.
Of course, the overall objective is to get the person to realize there is a real problem here and that he needs help. The best result you could hope for is that the addict makes a strong commitment to get drug-free at last, but even if he only agrees to give it a try, it is much better than continuing his substance abuse.
Calling in a professional interventionist can be the best solution. Running your own family intervention is not always successful, but there is no need to feel embarrassed if you have failed at it. It can be a very difficult task. A professional has a lot of experience and knows exactly what to do to achieve the best result.
Call us to find a professional interventionist who will help get your loved one into rehab.