Choosing to go ahead with a professional intervention is usually not the first choice a family makes when dealing with a loved one who is addicted to drugs or alcohol. By nature, addiction can be difficult to spot, and the family may go through a period of denial about the seriousness of the situation. Denial is one of the classic signs of addiction, and the person who has the substance abuse issue is going to use denial and deflection as two of his or her tools to focus attention away from the real issue and keep the addiction alive and well.
Once the family realizes that it is dealing with someone who is an addict, they use the methods they are familiar with to try to get that person into treatment. These may include:
- Reasoning
- Arguing
- Nagging
- Pleading
- Threatening
Some family members take a completely different view of the situation and may either ignore the issue or start enabling the addict. Neither of these are helpful, either.
Intervention Services Focus on the Family
When a family decides that they would like to bring in an interventionist to work with them, they are enlisting the help of someone who has the skills and experience to help their loved one admit that they need to get help. The family does not have to deal with the situation alone anymore.
During the months and years when an addict has been actively engaged in his or her behaviors, the family has had to deal with the consequences of that persons choices many times. It has been a costly experience, in time, money and in the emotional toll it has taken on everyone around the addict.
Choosing to conduct an alcohol and drug intervention means that the family gets to stop the emotional and financial bleeding. It doesn’t mean abandoning someone who is willing to get help, though. It means that the family has decided to set some healthy limits on what it considers to be acceptable behavior.
The person who is struggling with addiction is presented with the opportunity to go to treatment. Ideally, arrangements have already been made so that all the loved one has to do is say,”Yes” and then he or she can leave right away. The opportunity to get well is presented in a non-confrontational way. This type of pattern for a California intervention has the best chance of success.
If Your Loved One Needs Help, Get It Now
If you are struggling with finding help for your loved one’s addictive behavior, contact Above It All Treatment Center online, or call us now at 888-997-3006.