Drug Addiction Intervention

Many families spend their days considering whether or not to do a drug addiction intervention on someone they care for. Drug addiction ruins the lives of an addict and their loved ones. The longer an addict abuses drugs, the more likely there will be a fatality or some other terrible crisis resulting from the downward spiral consistent with an addict’s lifestyle. With so much at stake, it is imperative that loved ones do everything they can to intervene, stopping the addict from destroying the family and their own life. For many families, a drug addiction intervention is the only way to get a loved one the help they so desperately need. Many addicts report that they would have never gone into treatment without the intervention.

What does a Drug Addiction Intervention do?

Addicts often live in denial about their addiction. A drug addiction intervention is designed to allow an addict to accept that they need to enter treatment. In an intervention, the family, friends and co-workers are assembled to confront the addict about the problem. A professional interventionist can guide the process. Due to the emotionally charged nature of an intervention, utilizing a professional with experience in interventions is mandatory.

Knowing what drug addiction looks like is key for identifying a substance abuse problem. Physical and behavioral changes are often the first signs that indicate there is a problem. Certain signs of drug abuse include weight gain or loss, change of friends or hangouts, poor grooming, bloodshot eyes, sudden drop in performance or attendance at work or school, slurred speech, mood swings, agitation, unusual smells on the breath and a sudden change in money requirements, to name a few.

Professional Drug Addiction Intervention

Staging an intervention should be done under the guidance of a professional interventionist. Given the highly-emotional nature of an intervention, it is ill-advised to consider an intervention without an objective professional leading the confrontation. Since the objective of an intervention is to persuade the addict to start treatment, it is wise to use all resources available.

There is no guarantee that an intervention will be successful. But for many recovering addicts, the confrontation with caring family members who force the addict to listen to how their addiction has negatively impacted them finally gets through to an addict in denial. Every addict deserves the second chance that a successful intervention offers.

Recovery After a Drug Addiction Intervention

The drug addiction intervention is the first step in the recovery process. The drug addiction interventionist will give you, the family, the tools you need to understand the enabling behaviors of addiction, how to draw your bottom lines and how to take back your life. Your loved one will need a strong support network for a long time to come.

In order to be truly successful after the drug addiction intervention and treatment, the next best step for the addict would be a sober-living house. A place where they are surrounded closely by others who want to start their new life of sobriety and who can be a support to each other while they learn new behaviors and experience emotional growth.

During the addiction an addicts emotional growth is stunted. Childlike behaviors of manipulation and dishonesty will surface as we face away from harsh realities. After we are sober, we need to learn how to cope with life’s complications without our drug of choice. After the drug addiction intervention, treatment and sober-living comes the final stretch. Deciding on a course of recovery, be it twelve-step meetings, church or any on-going support away from the old ties and patterns.