Addiction is a trying and conflicting affliction to have, whether it exists in yourself, in family members or loved ones. The truth is, it is a pretty serious and pretty dangerous problem and it has been for some time now in the entire nation, and about one out of every three American families can nod their heads in agreement that they know exactly what it is like to have a substance abuser in the family.
In times like these, the importance of intervention has become very clear and very obvious. Since about ninety percent of all of those who are addicted are not themselves willing to seek out any type of rehabilitation for themselves or their loved ones, the issue becomes quite clear that intervention is crucial and needed in helping the vast majority of those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol become clean and sober.
But what are the key guidelines and important points of intervention that must be kept in mind? For example, should one be okay with negotiating with an addict when it comes to intervening with him or her?
What to Do About Negotiations
It’s not so much of a black and white, “Should I allow negotiations or not?” type of question, it’s more about what you can and what you cannot negotiate on. For example, if the addict has agreed to go to treatment but wants to negotiate anything at all that in any way delays or slows down the treatment process, then this must be firmly refused. Remember this is all done with the best interests of the addict at hand and the decisions are made with the intention of saving that person’s life. So, to that end, it would not be effective to allow your addicted loved one to negotiate their way into waiting even just a few mere hours to go to treatment or to be able to go and talk to someone, handle some of their affairs, or postpone treatment for any reason at all.
On the other hand though, if your loved one is actually, genuinely interested in treatment and you have allowed for different treatment options that he or she can pick from, it may be appropriate to discuss where he or she would like to attend rehab, as long as a decision is made right then and there. Having a say in where they go may make it easier for them to accept the offer of assistance in the first place, and it can make them feel like they have more to do with the whole process in general.
Another thing that can be negotiated on is that if they request to bring certain items with them or ask that you write to them or visit at specific intervals too, these could all be beneficial and could be agreed upon. For things like these, there may be no conflict with negotiating on these topics at all, as long as these requests are within the boundaries of the chosen rehabilitation center and you will not be breaking any rules by agreeing to the requests.
When it comes to negotiating with an addict, the ultimate bottom line is that rehab must begin immediately, immediately, immediately, and that any negotiation that thwarts or delays that process is not an effective choice for anyone involved at all. It will not be conducive to the process. But on certain things though, your addicted loved one’s requests should certainly be taken into account and accommodated if at all possible, especially if it makes them happier and more excited about treatment and gets their morale up.
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