Drug addiction is a very dangerous issue with which millions of American families cope. The constant lying, manipulation, and increased deterioration of their lives have families living through a chaotic world to which they feel helpless. Getting an addict help can be very difficult because most addicts do not want or believe they need help. Families and friends often try repeatedly to get their loved one help, but come up short. A very helpful tool that should be used to get an addict to accept drug treatment is an intervention. By conducting an intervention families and friends can properly get an addict to understand the damage, danger, and pain they are causing those around them and themselves. If you are struggling with an addict in your life then conducting an intervention is the best way to get them to accept treatment. If you are not comfortable with conducting or running an intervention yourself then using an intervention specialist can be more effective.
Interventions
Interventions are great ways to get an addict to accept treatment, but they are not meetings that should be thrown together haphazardly. Interventions must be carefully detailed and practiced before they are actually carried out. It is essential to the success of the intervention that rules are in place and carried out. The process should have a head that conducts the entire meeting. That individual will be in charge making sure the intervention moves on the way it should; they are also in charge of assigning speakers and keeping a schedule. That individual will also put together a practice run of the intervention before bringing the addict in for the real thing. Here, all the individuals who are mature and responsible enough to be there and speak will rehearse their discussions. At the practice meeting, the group can decide on speaking order, what direction they want the intervention to go, what they expect out of the addict, and what they expect from the intervention.
Intervention Styles
Interventions do not come in a one size fits all; instead, there are several styles to choose from. The Johnson model is the most common; it involves confronting the addict with the support and concerns of friends and family. The intervention discusses the problem and what boundaries the family will set from that moment forward. The systemic model does not involve confrontation, but rather consequences for continued use by positive encouragement. The invitational model is similar to the Johnson model, except that it does not call for surprising the addict; instead friends and family invite the addict to the intervention. The field model is a combination of the Johnson and invitational model, which allows for real time adjustments as they are needed.
Interventionalist
When people feel that their repeated conversations, threats, and positive encouragements are not working, they often seek out an intervention specialist. Interventionalists are specialists in addiction and getting addicts to seek drug treatment. They are capable of organizing, conducting, and adjusting interventions on the fly. These professionals can properly keep an intervention on task and even assist the addict to a drug treatment facility. The job of interventionalists is to determine the addict’s history of addiction, make an analysis based on provided information, and develop the strategies for a positive intervention.
More Successful Intervention
Families and friends that are concerned over a loved one’s drug addiction and want to conduct an intervention should seek the help of a professional. Depending on the drugs being abused and the length of abuse confronting the addict can be difficult. Intervention specialists are professionals in the art of interventions and therefore can be an incredibly powerful tool that families have access to. If you are considering the idea of conducting an intervention for a loved one speaking to a professional can be beneficial. Using an interventionalist can make your intervention more successful.
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