06 Jun What to Expect From an Intervention
In the old days, families of people who were addicted to alcohol or drugs simply had to wait for them to “hit bottom”, which is to say wait until they just got too exhausted and were sick of dealing with their own addiction. How long that could take was anyone’s guess. Then, along came the concept of the drug intervention.
In essence, the intervention is simply a way of forcing the addict to see the damage he’s doing to himself, or herself, and to loved ones; to make them stop for a moment and hear from others what their addiction is doing to everyone and what it’s doing to them. Many addicts steal, lie, cheat, do all kinds of sneaky things that they think they’re hiding when, in fact, everyone is fully aware of it. They’re irresponsible, can’t hold jobs, do badly in school, they borrow or steal money, or steal objects they can pawn or sell to get money to feed their habits. Depending on the length of the addiction and severity of it, their physical appearance can also deteriorate. All of this can be happening so gradually that the addict doesn’t really notice it, or thinks others don’t. The intervention makes them realize everyone is on to them and they’re only slowly destroying their own lives.
One of the reasons an intervention works is it is led by a qualified professional rather than merely a family confrontation which can quickly go awry. The presence of a professional already says this is a serious event. In reality, a good interventionist educates the family on addiction during the intervention process. Most families don’t truly understand addiction, they only know the affect it’s having on them. You particularly need a professional interventionist if the addict has a history of mental illness, or could turn violent or suicidal.
There are several different types of drug intervention programs. Some may seem harsh and carry severe consequences, such as loved ones cutting off contact with the addict, cutting off funds, divorce, etc. Others can be more sympathetic, but still have a predetermined goal of getting the addict into treatment. There is a version in which the addict is invited but not the focus of the intervention. Instead, the family talks amongst themselves about the impact the addiction is having and what they plan to do about it until the addict decides to join in the conversation. Interestingly, because the addict is not the focus, he may feel less attacked.
If you are dealing with a loved one who is suffering from addiction and you think an intervention might be appropriate, the best idea is to talk to a few interventionists and get an idea of the options to see what you think will work best in your circumstance. The good news is, according to the latest statistics, 90% of interventions have a positive outcome with the addict going to treatment.
