Interventions: When and How Should I Intervene On A Loved One

According to the Addiction Center, approximately 21 million Americans have at least one addiction.  More shocking than the total number of American’s ensnared in the clutches of addiction is the fact, that only 10% of addicts seek addiction treatment.  In order to bridge the gap, people struggling with addiction need loved ones to bridge the gap towards addiction treatment.

Drug addiction has impacted the lives of millions of Americans. There is new hope though, as we are able to destigmatize addiction and identify it as a treatable disease.  State-of-the-art addiction treatment programs like Grace Recovery in Hollywood, California are filled with people eager to help you or your loved one combat drug addiction with compassion, care, and expertise.

One of the questions asked most frequently by people who have a loved one who is struggling with drug addiction is this:  When do I stage an Intervention?

Timing Is Key

There is no simple answer to that question.  However, as loved ones, we can develop a plan by being informed and knowing that early intervention with an effective plan and a committed support group can save a life.  Remember, only 10% of addicts seek addiction treatment, largely due to the fact that most addicts don’t know they are in crisis.  They need your help.  So here are some sobering signings that it is time for an intervention.

Signs To Look For

People can change in healthy ways, however, a person struggling with drug addiction or alcoholism may exhibit many alarming behavioral changes.  Some of these changes may be mild, such as changing eating routines, eating less, arriving excessively and profusely late or lying.  Most of these behaviors will exacerbate over time as the addiction worsens.  An addict also is likely to build a tolerance for certain drugs or alcohol and require more to achieve the same high.

Other alarming behaviors include refusals to eat, a haggard appearance due to a lack of care for their own self-image.  Drug addiction and alcoholism affect the brain to be focused on the next high which can make people more prone to volatility where they lash out and lose control.  The grip of addiction can rip your loved one away from reality leading to mental fatigue and memory loss which snowballs into financial trouble.

When you see these behaviors taking their toll, you know it is time to stage an intervention.  However, your chances of success will increase if you are able to form a support group focused on getting your loved one into addiction treatment safely and effectively.

Remember, your decision to stage an intervention can directly save your loved one’s life.  In 2018 the Los Angeles Times reported, “the death toll from drugs has doubled every eight years” from 1979 to 2016.  Your intervention and the path to addiction treatment can help change that number.

Staging The Intervention

Once you have made the commitment toward staging an intervention to help your loved one battle drug addiction, the next step is forming your team and your plan.  This is going to be an emotional experience.  Different people view drug addiction from a different lens.  Some people still view addiction as a choice.  People in your group may be personally outraged or hurt due to the choices an addict has made.  Your intervention will have the highest odds of being successful if you are able to create a support group who acknowledge addiction is a medical disorder, are committed to helping and have a plan of action to get your loved one to receive addiction treatment.

You will also need to assign someone to be a leader and mediate while your group navigates through their own emotions.  Remember your loved one with an alcohol or drug addiction may have committed acts that are hard to forgive.  Healing the group can lead to forgiveness.  Forgiveness can lead to belief in a common goal: To help a sick loved one receive addiction treatment.

It is also okay and necessary to share what the consequences will be at home and with relationships if your loved one struggling with alcohol or drug addiction doesn’t seek treatment.

Seek Professional Help

You are not in this alone.  There are people who have dedicated their lives to helping people receive the support they need to confront their alcohol or drug addiction.  An intervention specialist can be the perfect person to utilize in order to give your loved one the best chance at receiving the addiction treatment they need.  It’s okay to have questions and to feel like you need help.  Luckily, people like Greg Holden and Joelene Knight the co-founders of Grace Recovery in Hollywood CA have people ready to help regardless of where you live.  Just pick up the phone and dial 1-866-330-0049 or visit gracerecovery.com and they will be happy to guide you.

 

How to Talk to Your Family About Your Addiction

Addiction is something that millions of people struggle with every single day. What might have started out as recreational drug or alcohol use can quickly become a driving force in all the things you do. That being said, admitting to those that you love that you have a problem and that you are dealing with addiction can be one of the hardest things that an addict will ever have to do.

Admitting You Have a Problem

The first step to preparing to tell your family about your addiction is to admit to yourself that you have one. It might not seem like much, but taking that first step of admitting to yourself that something is wrong is the best way to start the recovery process. There are some signs of addiction that you can look got in your own behavior to see if you are an addict and to start your road to recovery.

  • Using drugs as a coping mechanism, you use drugs to deal with difficult situations and with things that trouble you.
  • You use a great deal of your income on drugs, alcohol, or both
  • You have lost numerous friends due to your drug use or alcohol use
  • You have missed important events due to drug or alcohol use
  • The thought of going cold turkey makes you nervous or anxious.
  • Legal recourse has not stopped or lessened your drug or alcohol use.
  • You do things you would never do otherwise in an effort to get drugs and alcohol

Accepting that you have an addiction is one of the best ways to make sure that you are on the right track and that you are going to be open enough to speak with your family when the time comes to address your addiction with them.

Seeking Help

The next step is to take the time to consider what type of help you need and to see if you are ready for help as well. It is always best to consider what you might do to help your addiction and what steps you are willing to take to get your addiction under control. Addiction is not the end of the line and seeking help does not make you weak or less than. It is always best to take the time to find out what sort of help might work best for you and what type of help you might want for your addiction. Taking the time to start the process of finding a great rehabilitation program or facility is a wonderful second step to getting your road to recovery started.

Be Forthcoming

One of the best things you can do is to be forthcoming with your addiction and with addressing your family. Many people fear that there is no good way to talk to their family and friends about their addiction, the truth is there really is no perfect way to tell your family. The best thing you can do is admit you have a problem, take the time to be honest and tell it like it is. Sharing this information with your family is one of the best ways to start the healing process and to get your family on board with your recovery process.

Being honest with your family is going to set you on the right path toward recovery and may even gain the sympathy or at the very least the confidence that you are doing the right thing and that you are moving toward getting well. By being honest you are telling your family that you want to change and that you are really ready to get well and to change.

Accept Responsibility for Your Substance Abuse

It is important that you are ready and able to accept responsibility for the things that you have done while you were high, while you were drinking, or while you were otherwise addicted. It is important that you take the time to accept that the addiction was no fault of anyone else, that you were the one that is addicted and that it is the fault of no one else that you are.

Accepting responsibility is one of the first steps toward recovery and toward being able to let go of addiction and finding peace. Finding a great recovery center like Grace Recovery in Hollywood, CA is a fantastic start. The right recovery center will have plenty of ways to get clean, they will have a caring and attentive staff, and they will be able to help addicts from all walks of life and with all different addictions find a way toward being happy and healthy.

Grace Recovery is a state of the art facility with a great set of programs from detox, residential inpatient, and so much more. You can contact us today for more information and to find out what treatment type is going to work best for you in terms of addiction treatment.