Simply put, an addiction intervention is the first step on the road to recovery. It doesn’t matter if the affected individual is the addict or if it is the family of the addict. Addiction intervention seeks to help everyone concerned.

But what is an addiction intervention, specifically? Who performs the intervention and what happens? Let’s take the mystery out of it. In the formal sense, an addiction intervention is a process where a trained and certified interventionist is called in to help concerned family members and friends convince their loved one with addition to accept help and go into treatment. Beyond that, addiction intervention often works to help family members understand the disease of addiction, give them tools to help them get rid of shame and guilt and regain or rebuild self-confidence.  There are different models of addiction intervention, but the most typical goes something like this:

• You make a call to the organization offering addiction intervention services. Then you are put in touch with a licensed interventionist, a professional who helps you determine if an addiction intervention is the right course of action at this time.

• Preparations begin to get family members/close friends ready for the intervention. These include providing clear direction and instructions for the parties who will be present and involved in the intervention, keeping the family’s personal circumstances in mind, initiating contact with treatment facilities, and communicating throughout the process.

• Family members next meet with the interventionist in a “pre-meeting” where you obtain more information about the disease of addiction that’s affected your family, how to end the cycle of destruction addiction has caused, that the individual addict’s actions are not the fault of anyone, how to create healthy boundaries, and agree on the options to be presented to the addict during the formal intervention. In addition, the date, time, and location for the formal intervention is set.

• During the formal intervention, each family member, close friend, coworker, boss or other concerned individual, addresses the addict and says how that individual’s destructive behavior affects him or her personally. Each declaration, which may be read from a sheet they’ve prepared in advance, usually ends with a plea for the addict to accept help and go into treatment. After everyone has shared, the interventionist explains the options available to the addict and, when the addict agrees to accept treatment, the interventionist facilitates entrance to the treatment facility.

Why can’t family members do their own intervention? In some instances, perhaps they can, but it is extremely difficult and prone to failure. Why is that? Addicts often find it hard to accept that they have a problem they cannot control. They are experts in denial. Even if others think they have a problem, addicts may feel that they have adopted a lifestyle that perfectly suits them and one that they don’t want to change. This isn’t the person talking, it’s the disease. Once they’ve become dependent on alcohol or drugs or compulsive behaviors, they’re no longer in control. No amount of family coercion or persuasion is likely to break through the barriers of denial and lack of understanding of the addict’s disease. That’s why formal intervention, conducted by professionals, is so important. It’s backed by solid research that interventions can offer the best chance for an addict to get help and be on the road to recovery.

Is an addiction intervention right for you and your family to consider at this time? Ask yourself the following question: Has everything else you’ve tried failed? You could go through years of threats, promises, and cycles of letting things slide followed by active attempts to get your loved one into treatment. Nothing works, or it works only for a short period of time before the addict resumes his or her self-destructive behavior – perhaps even worse. Now is the time for an addiction intervention.

The important point to remember about interventions is that they don’t have to be voluntary to be effective. Chances are the loved one does not know that an intervention has been scheduled and shows up to a meeting completely clueless. He or she will adamantly deny there’s a problem, right up to the final minute where they agree to go into treatment. Does everyone go into treatment? Unfortunately, there are some who refuse the assistance. They will not be convinced and do not accept the help they are being offered. This does not mean that they won’t do so later, or that the intervention has been a complete failure. Sometimes it takes a while for the awareness of the problem to really hit home.

If nothing else, addiction intervention helps family members realize that they don’t own the addict’s actions. They are not responsible for what the addict does. They can change their own behaviors and go on to live their lives, whether the addict continues to drink, do drugs, gamble, or engage in other compulsive behaviors. Family members learn they have to stop enabling the addict and allow him or her to face the consequences of their actions.

What Is an Addiction Intervention? is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The confusing thing for me, at least at first, was why he had done it to ME? When we parted ways, we did so in a friendly manner, promising to keep in touch. He was a really good guy and I was a really good girl. It blew my mind. Then one of our mutual friends explained to me, delicately, that Sam was snorting coke. Given what I knew about his non-existent finances, everything became instantly clear. I must have known at least a little about addiction back then as well, because it didn’t take long for my anger to dissipate. I knew that what had happened had very little to do with me personally.

Sadly, often it isn’t until an addict runs out of money that we discover he or she has a problem with drugs or alcohol. And, ultimately, only the independently wealthy will never run out of money. Even addicts with high paying jobs typically lose them. Even if they aren’t stoned at work, overall behavior and mood worsens during the course of addiction. After all, these are toxins being introduced to delicate brain tissue. In addition, an addict without a fix will quickly exhibit symptoms of withdrawal. Typical changes include failure to concentrate, negative sleep patterns, and irritability. Those who are employees will often be fired. Those who are self-employed will quickly alienate clients and miss deadlines.

Even though the money has run out, an addict’s need for the drug is the same as it ever was. In fact, as addiction progresses and tolerance builds, it takes more drug and, thus, more money, to get a fix. So what does one do when there isn’t enough money to pay the dealer? The addict does things we’d never do. Feelings of morality, of right and wrong, are outweighed by painful feelings of withdrawal. Thus, the addict breaks the law and steals money or something they can sell. Consideration for the feelings or welfare of others is overcome by relentless cravings – proven biological changes in the brain. Thus, the addict shows little remorse for stealing from friends and loved ones. The addict will use the mortgage money, let his kids go without food or clothes, or even worse. With nothing left to sell or steal, the addict may even sell herself for just one more fix.

For those of us without addiction, it’s almost impossible to fully understand how little free will an addict has when experiencing cravings for drugs or alcohol. And just when we think we’ve heard all the humiliating and immoral things an addict will do to score, we are stunned into silence by new revelations. In some cases, we’ll never know just how bad the situation got until an addict is in recovery.

If you love an addict, do yourself a favor and see a therapist even if only for one session. Feelings of betrayal, outrage, hurt and violation can wreak havoc on even the most well-rounded and adjusted individual. Although addiction is a medical illness that, ultimately, makes the sufferer unable to control his or her actions at times, it is easy to forget this when you are in the throes of dealing with the fallout. Acknowledging that a loved one is addicted, and learning how to avoid enabling him, are absolutely essential steps in addiction recovery. And remember… it’s really not you. It’s him.

When You Love an Addict is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Successful interventions include expressions of warmth, caring and concern for the affected person. They are best facilitated by trained professionals who support all participants and who structure the intervention so that concerns are addressed and unnecessary conflict is kept to a minimum. Most intervention specialists will work in advance with the concerned parties to prepare for the formal intervention itself. A successful intervention typically results in the chemically dependent person entering treatment.

There several types of intervention among these are the Johnson Model of Intervention and the Invitational Intervention. Both are recovery focused and both involve the use of a group process.

The Johnson Model is based upon the belief that chemical dependency impairs the substance user’s insight and judgment. Therefore, concerned members of an intervention will give the substance user details of how he or she is affected by substance use and how that substance use is also affecting the people who care for them. Such an intervention has also been called a “surprise intervention” because chemically dependent people for whom these types of interventions are arranged are typically not aware that others have been preparing to confront them.

The Johnson Model involves each participant talking directly to the chemically dependent person in order to describe concerns, impact and to pledge support throughout efforts to seek treatment and remain abstinent.

A second type of intervention is known as the Invitational Method. This type of intervention has several similarities to the Johnson model. It, too, typically uses professional guidance to prepare for and complete the intervention. It is also done in an effort to remedy chemical dependency and its effects upon the substance user and their loved ones. Additionally, the participants demonstrate their concern and support for the chemically dependent person. Significantly, however, the chemically dependent person is aware of the intervention before hand and is invited to participate.

The Invitational Intervention focuses more upon the addiction rather than the addicted individual. It addresses chemical dependency as a family disease. Family members other than the chemically dependent person may develop coping and treatment plans for themselves in such an intervention. The addicted family member is considered to be a participant in helping the entire family recover from the disease of addiction. While the chemically dependent person may enter treatment as a result of this intervention, this is not the primary goal of the intervention as it is in the Johnson model.

Intervention is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment