Staging an Intervention for Drug Addiction

When someone is struggling with addiction issues, it not only affects them but those close to them. Although loved ones can have strong concerns for their wellbeing, it can be difficult to know what to do for the best. Avoiding confrontation is important when trying to build a bridge of understanding between an addict and their family and so many choose to keep their distance or sweep the issue under the carpet instead.

However, it is not always the addict themselves that decides to reach out for help. In fact, in many cases, it is their close friends and families who take the first step to get them treatment. This is usually achieved by staging an intervention, which is something that needs to be considered carefully before implementing. It is important to bear in mind that there is plenty of intervention help for families and also intervention rehab centers available to provide advice on how to stage it and also supervise the process too.

To provide some clarity on this subject, here we take a look at exactly what’s involved in an intervention and how it can be a positive step towards healing and rebuilding family bonds that may have been broken because of the negative behaviors of their addicted loved one.

What Is an Intervention?

An intervention takes the form of a structured conversation between the addict and their loved ones, which is often supervised by a qualified specialist such as an interventionist in San Francisco. It does not involve dragging an addict into a locked room where they will be interrogated by their family and friends as this is a combative approach that is invariably unsuccessful. The ultimate goal of intervention rehab centers is to provide a neutral place for loved ones to show addicts that their negative behaviors have consequences on people they care about and get them to seek professional help.

When to Intervene with a Loved One

Intervention help for families is crucial as introducing the subject of addiction can be very difficult in the company of someone with the illness. Their first instinct will be to deny there is a problem or they may become angry at what they feel is unnecessary interruption of their ‘fun.’

It’s important to know that an addict is likely to have an excuse for their behaviors or they will flatly refuse there’s an issue. For this reason, it’s important that loved ones are sure there really is an addiction issue so that they have the responses to any denial during the intervention.

Someone who is struggling with substance abuse disorder will most likely display the following signs:

• They regularly borrow money to pay for their drugs or drink
• They are secretive about where they’re going or who they’re seeing
• They may exhibit aggressive behavior, particularly if challenged
• Their physical appearance may have deteriorated
• They have no motivation and a lack of energy
• There could be associated problems at school or work

Many people with addiction illness are referred to as dual diagnosis as they have a co-occurring mental health condition and others may have developed mental disorders as a result of substance abuse. No matter what the underlying causes of addiction, it is essential that loved ones of addicts seek an intervention rehab center or intervention help for families to assist in directing the conversation to address these co-existing illnesses.

Here are the steps to take to stage an intervention for drug rehab:

• Find an interventionist in San Francisco who is able to moderate between all parties, while ensuring that all participants are communicating their thoughts and feelings. An intervention is a good opportunity to break an addict’s cycle of denial and an interventionist in San Francisco will ensure that the reality of their addiction hits home.
• Form an intervention drug rehab group of family and friends who have the strongest bonds with the addict. It is important that they respect the people staging the intervention and also that they don’t feel ambushed by it. Some intervention groups include the children of addicts and also older relatives who are often most negatively impacted by their behavior. It is not uncommon for there to be some extremely intense moments during an intervention and so it’s best to prepare for the eventuality.
• The next step is to choose the meeting place and time for the intervention for drug rehab and it should be a place that is non-threatening and familiar so that everyone feels at ease. It is also a good idea to organize the intervention for a time of day when the addict will be sober as anything discussed when they’re under the influence will be forgotten.
• When the agreed time comes, loved ones need to know that anything can happen during the intervention. It is not possible to predict how someone will react when confronted with their substance abuse, particularly as their addiction will have resulted in significant personality changes. In the worst case scenario, if an addict becomes aggressive and confrontational when faced with the intervention for drug rehab, the police should be called.

Interventions can be extremely effective in getting addicts into treatment and should not be underestimated. However, it is something that should be carefully considered and planned for, with intervention help for families, an intervention rehab center or an interventionist in San Francisco providing advice before, during and after.