Milwaukee Interventionist
Milwaukee Drug and Alcohol Interventions
When a loved one is addicted to drugs or alcohol and you have asked them to seek help over and over again to no avail, giving up may seem like the next appropriate course of action to keep yourself well—but there is hope. In Milwaukee, drug and alcohol interventions provide one option to help those who persistently refuse treatment to “see the light” and accept what is necessary. As a family member or loved one of an addict, seeking the help of a professional interventionist in Milwaukee could help you heal while providing an outlet away from addiction for your loved one too.
What is an Intervention?
An intervention is a coordinated, organized effort to encourage an individual abusing or addicted to a mind-altering substance to seek professional treatment. An intervention can be utilized to assist a person abusing or addicted to a wide range of mind-altering substances. Therefore, when contemplating an intervention, it is important to appreciate the various types of commonly abused by individuals or that result in an addiction.
Overview of Substance Abuse and Addiction Statistics
Substance abuse and addiction impact the lives of millions of people in the United States and around the world. This includes not only those individuals laboring under substance abuse or addiction but also their family members, friends, and work colleagues. Indeed, an estimated 23.5 million individuals over the age of 12 require treatment for substance abuse addiction annually, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Nearly a quarter of all people who seek substance abuse or addiction treatment do so for alcohol, also according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The second largest group of individuals seek treatment and recovery services because of the abuse of or addiction to alcohol and some other mind-altering substances. About 20 percent of admissions fall into this category.
The percentages of people who abuse or are addicted to other types of mind-altering substances that ultimately seek treatment are:
- Marijuana – 17 percent
- Heroin – 14 percent
- Crack Cocaine – 8 percent
- Stimulants – 6 percent
- Other Opiates – 6 percent
- Powder Cocaine – 3 percent
- Tranquilizers – .6 percent
A variety of other mind-altering substances used at smaller percentages round out this list, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
How an Intervention Works
The most common type of intervention involves bringing together people from different parts of a person struggling with the abuse of or addiction to a mind-altering substance. Once assembled, the subject of the intervention is brought into the room.
The general thrust of an intervention is for the participants to explain, in a calm and non-threatening manner, how the subject’s conduct and use of mind-altering substances is affecting their own lives. The participants make it clear that the care for the subject and are concerned about his or her wellbeing. However, they also make it clear that they can no longer tolerate the negative impact the subject’s use of, abuse of or addiction to a mind-altering substance has on their own lives.
The culmination of an intervention is the recommendation by the group assembled that the subject seeks professional treatment. Ideally, a couple of treatment options have already been vetted by the group and specifically are presented to the subject of the intervention.
Professionals maintain that there should be little or no time lapse between the conclusion of the intervention and the admission of the subject into a substance abuse and addiction treatment and recovery program. Even a minimal lapse in time gives the subject the opportunity to change his or her mind and carry on with a destructive course.
Professional Assistance
Although an intervention may seem like an uncomplicated endeavor, the reality is that it is not easy to effectively pull one off. There are many perils and problems potentially associated with an intervention.
Because of the complexities and risks associated with an intervention, friends, family members and other colleagues interested in staging one need to consider seriously engaging the services of an interventionist. In this day and age, nearly all substance abuse and addiction treatment and recovery centers have access to an experienced, well-trained interventionist.
An interventionist is a professional with a background in staging effective interventions. An interventionist can assist with everything from organizing the most appropriate grouping of friends, family members and other colleagues as intervention participants to overseeing the actual session itself.
A trained interventionist is also capable of assisting participants with their own emotional response to an intervention. The reality is that an intervention has a direct impact on not only the subject but those who are part of the intervention group.
Finally, an interventionist typically aids in getting the subject admitted into a treatment and recovery program directly after the conclusion of the intervention session itself.
The Intervention Process
A professional drug or alcohol interventionist in Boston will help you to more clearly define the intervention process but generally, you can expect something similar to the following steps:
- An intervention group will be created—this group will consist of the friends and family members that are most likely to encourage the addict’s acceptance of treatment for addiction. It’s important that those who use drugs or alcohol with the addict are NOT included in the intervention group.
- The interventionist will collect information – this includes information related to the addict, his or her addiction, how the addiction has impacted the family system, and what methods or attempts towards treatment have already been tried.
- A formal goal will be defined – during this step of the intervention process, the interventionist will help the family members define the true goals of the intervention—what do we want to occur? What will happen if the user does NOT accept treatment? How will the intervention team work together to ensure that the addict chooses help?
- A message of intervention will be planned—this may include defining the tone of the intervention, how the message can be accurately portrayed to the addict, and what steps can be taken to eliminate any instances of denial.
- The intervention takes place – a set time, location and message are defined, the family members and friends are ready, the professional is on their side, and they get together to offer their love and help to the addict. If the individual chooses treatment, the interventionist stays with him or her until they arrive at the treatment destination. If the individual does NOT choose treatment, the interventionist provides the family and loved ones with access to support to help them learn how to stop facilitating and start healing themselves.
Get Help in Milwaukee Today
Are you ready to stop the cycle of addiction once and for all? Staging a drug or alcohol intervention in Milwaukee begins with having a professional on your side. Studies show that your chances of a successful intervention are increased significantly when you have a professional work with you. Don’t be afraid to take the next step towards helping your loved one get sober.
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