What a lot of people run into when they are considering performing an intervention on a family member or loved one is basically a fear that they will surprise their family member or loved one or that their attempt to help will not be well received at all. This is a legitimate concern to say the least, but not something that should be so concerning and worrisome that it stops the family members and loved ones from actually confronting the addict and trying to do something about the addiction problem.
This is truly the right approach to take. For any family that has had to deal with addiction within their circle, there is no doubt whatsoever that addressing the problem with addiction intervention is the right route to go. However, that does not mean that it will be at all easy or at all pleasant in any way. In fact, just the opposite is usually the case.
The Fear of Ambushing a Loved One
Here is the true grit on the situation. The bare bones truth of the matter is that crisis interventions for drug and alcohol abuse are now becoming more needed and necessary than ever before. Studies have now shown to us that in recent years that the current percentage of American drug and alcohol addicts who are NOT willing to seek out drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation numbers are as high as a full ninety percent. The erroneous concept that one can just, “deal with his or her addiction,” is more prevalent than it ever was before, making the vast majority of the addicted populace feel as though they do not need rehab at all, and that they don’t really have a problem, to begin with, either.
Tough right? With a mentality like this lodged firmly in the head of an addict, it can make confronting them and trying to intervene on them pretty daunting. That is totally understandable, but that is not a good reason to not at least try to do something about the problem before the addict takes his or her own life with his or her addiction.
How to Prevent the Ambush
You want your intervention first and foremost to be gentle, kind, and lead with the love a family has for itself and for its members. While you don’t want to define a family; you do want to allow yourself to choose the voices that matter in the life of your loved one to join a family meeting. When you choose the right people, your loved one will never feel ganged up on, ambushed, bullied, or like they don’t have a choice and a voice in the conversation that ensues during an intervention.
In your intervention, you need to insist that everyone be treated with respect and dignity. Remember, the whole process is very collaborative and it involves the whole family, and it needs to involve them without blame, shame or guilt too. Together you want to invite your loved one to participate in his or her own recovery process.
Always remember too that some kind of intervention is better than no intervention. Keep in mind that this is the life of a family member or loved one that we are talking about here, and is not something to be taken lightly by any means. This life could be snuffed out in a heartbeat because of their addiction, and that is exactly why it is your job to jump into the situation and to do whatever you have to do to make sure that your loved one gets the help that they need to beat their addiction and come out winning in the long run. It is a worthy effort to do this, and it is worth the risk of heartbreak and loss that can occur along the way.
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