Dealing with an addict can be very difficult, especially for the family of the addict. Getting the help they need to get sober can be hard, but there are several ways to make them see the damage they are causing. Conducting an intervention is a powerful tool to use to convince an addict that professional treatment is their only option. It enables the family to get on the same page about what needs to happen, as well as getting them to understand what they need to do to push the addict in the direction of rehabilitation and stop any enabling behavior. There is a right way to conduct an intervention and a wrong way. Mismanaging an intervention can have adverse consequences. The following are what causes drug interventions to go wrong and how you can fix them.
Interventions
The purpose of an intervention is to get an addict to accept that they have problem and that it is destroying their life and the lives of those close to them. While the end game of an intervention is to get them to go to a rehabilitation center, the real goal is to get them to get well. Their health and safety are the first and foremost goal of an intervention. The best way to ensure that you have a successful intervention is to speak to and hire a professional interventionist. They can ensure that the intervention goes well and there are not any problems that come out of it.
How Interventions Go Wrong
The worst way to run an intervention is without a plan. The only one that should be surprised, in a confrontation style intervention, is the addict. Everyone that is part of the intervention should know about it in advance of the actual intervention. If you do not plan ahead of time, then the intervention can run the risk of being counterproductive. The second step that must be taken is that families should hire professional, certified, and referenced interventionist. Unlicensed or referenced interventionist can cause more problems than they solve. For example, an Illinois family conducted an intervention where the addict became hostile, ran out into traffic, and was killed by a truck. The family found out that the interventionist they hired was not licensed or insured. In a separate situation, another addict became angry and began rattling off the family’s short-comings. The “professional” overseeing that intervention advised that the addict was too far gone and that the family should forget him and divorce him. One particular intervention carried on until a family member brought up an embarrassing issue of sexual assault that the addict had be victim of. The individual was warned that it was unnecessary information that could send the intervention into an uncontrollable downward spiral, which it did. The intervention was unsuccessful afterward. These examples are how interventions go wrong and why it is essential to hire a true professional.
How to Fix a Bad Intervention
By hiring a certified, licensed, and referenced interventionist, families can guarantee that their intervention will go accordingly. This does not mean that the addict is guaranteed to accept treatment, but it will not end in failure either. Professional interventionists are prepared for any situation that may or may not come up. They will make families aware of what to say and not say during the intervention, who is allowed to speak, and when and how long they are allowed to speak, in order to divert disaster. When the situation becomes too hostile or dangerous, a professional will stop the intervention and allow them to walk away; rehabilitation must be the addict‘s decision. If the family is enabling the addictive behavior, then the professional will advise them to cut the addict off financially. They will be prepared with more than one treatment option. If the addict refuses to go to a rehab, it could be that it is in an area, state, or climate that they will not go to. The professional will speak with the family for several days in advance to ensure they are properly prepared for all scenarios. Many addicts agree to go to treatment to appease the family instead of going for themselves, which is pivotal to their rehabilitation. Individuals that are forced into treatment are more likely to relapse.
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