How to involve friends and family in an intervention Optimized Blog Post
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Why an intervention?
Their substance use problem is not only negatively affecting them; it has become a whole family affair. You do not have to remain a victim of your loved one's addiction. When a person refuses treatment and they are struggling with substance abuse, it might be time to commit to forming your intervention team.
You should consider intervention help if you know a person struggling with:
alcoholism and drug dependence
abuse of several mood-altering substances
compulsive behavior related to mental illness
The goal of an intervention is to help your loved one wake up to their addictive behaviors and guide them to seek treatment.
What is an intervention?
An intervention is not an immediate decision. It is a carefully planned process led by close friends and family. With support from a doctor or professional interventionist, you can also gather information about the best individual treatment plan for you and your loved one. With the support of a mental health counselor, people concerned about the addict's behavior can name their loved one's addiction and its negative impacts. The goal of a successful intervention is to get the person struggling with substance abuse to seek treatment.
The Intervention Process
Once your family and friends have decided it's time for an actual intervention, you can begin the following steps:
Decide it's time to seek professional help. Start forming a planning group. This is the first opportunity for friends and family of the person struggling with addiction to come together.
Gather information about the best treatment program for your family. Consult with a professional interventionist, mental health professional, or social worker who specializes in drug or alcohol addiction. They will help you research family therapy and treatment options in your area.
Bring together close family members and friends who are directly affected by your loved one's addiction. Make sure all people involved are on the same page about the intervention process.
Establish consequences if your loved one is not willing to accept treatment. Because an intervention is an emotionally charged conversation, it is important to come up with boundaries that all family and friends can agree on. If the person's addiction gets in the way of their recovery, your intervention team needs to be prepared to cut ties with them until they are willing to admit they have a serious mental illness.
Use language based on expressing care. Your loved one needs to see how you are willing to participate in their recovery process. Maybe this means joining them in support groups or family therapy. You can help avoid strong emotions by reminding the person struggling with addiction that they are not alone throughout the intervention process. Make sure to consult an addiction professional about the best treatment center for your whole family.
Commit to the process. The goal is not a brief intervention. In fact, an addiction professional should remind family members and friends that substance use disorder and addiction treatment will most likely lead to relapses before full recovery. Remind your loved one struggling with addiction that you are with them for every step. Your goal is to support them as they overcome addiction and commit to a life without substance abuse.
Who to include
As you prepare to address your loved one's substance addiction, make sure to include only a small group of close family and friends on your intervention team. This could be a best friend, spouse, or individual who celebrates the same faith as the person struggling with addiction. The goal is to make sure the people involved are invested in the self-care and recovery of the addicted person. They should not be people who elicit strong emotions from your loved one or who care more about themselves than helping the addict accept treatment.
Each person's addiction is different, which is why it's important to seek professional help when creating your intervention plan. An addiction professional and professional interventionist can help you decide which treatment facility is best to address your loved one's alcoholism or drug addiction, while also caring for all family members of the addict.