Addiction Intervention

The harsh reality about addiction intervention

The harsh reality is that addiction intervention (and other types of intervention) have become a necessary facet in today’s society. The mass availability of alcohol and drugs has not only made this an economic endeavor for distributors and traffickers of these substances, it has also mandated the necessity of more rehab programs being developed and more interventions conducted in order to get the addicted individual cured of what they are addicted to and suffering with.

The importance of addiction intervention

It is important to realize that the function, purpose, and ultimate goal of addiction intervention is to get the addicted individual to realize that they are not only destroying themselves, but the people around them as well. However, admitting to having a problem is only the first step. They also need to seek out a treatment and recovery center that offers a program which will rid them of their addictions so that they remain substance-free for life.

Who we are and What we do

Family-Intervention.us is an intervention service with professional interventionist that are dedicated to helping your loved one overcome the addictions that are destroying them. When your loved one has developed an addiction to alcohol, drugs, gambling, or eating, they do not recognize that they have an addiction problem that is greatly affecting the way they live. Watching a family member, friend or co-worker self destruct is extremely painful especially when they do not seem to understand the severity of their disease. When you see him/her you know that something needs to be done to stop the addiction then addiction intervention is the answer. When conducted by a trained professional, addiction intervention is 96% successful in convincing the addict to change by getting the treatment that is necessary.

addiction intervention strategies

The type of strategy that addiction intervention employs is going to vary from one individual to the next since no 2 are ever alike. Family members, friends, and loved ones can help the addicted individual provided they are focused on the needs of the addicted individual. Typically, there are three stages involved in a successful addiction intervention. These include:
  1. The Assessment Stage – there are certain aspects involved in this stage which include the interventionist learning as much as possible about the individual in question, as well as the substance they are abusing and addicted to. There are a number of questions that need to be answered such as:
    • Who will be attending the intervention?
    • Who will be responsible for paying for the service?
    • What facility will facilitate the individual’s treatment and recovery needs the best?
    • Will insurance coverage be involved?
  2. The Orchestration Stage – this usually involves the actual addiction intervention wherein the family members, friends, loved ones and the family interventionist are involved with the addicted individual. During the process, it is necessary to remember that all of the members in the group should not display any negative reactions to the addicted individual’s reactions. The addicted individual might or might not react angrily and get abusive or violent, but never rule out those possibilities. Educating the members of the intervention group as to how to deal with these situations is critical.
  3. Successful Completion of addiction intervention – the real measure of success with any addiction intervention strategy is how effective the process was at getting the individual to admit that they have a problem. Additionally, that success is also measured by the fact that they immediately seek help by enrolling in a treatment and recovery center which targets their individual needs.

The history of addiction intervention

Vernon Johnson, an Episcopalian priest and recovering alcoholic, is considered to be the father of modern addiction intervention. Johnson wound up devoting his life to alcohol addiction treatment and recovery. From his work, further fine-tuning of the intervention process was done to accommodate a variety of addictions besides alcohol and drugs. Some other addictions that may require a addiction intervention:
  • Addictions to pornography
  • Computer and/or video game addictions
  • Gambling addictions
  • Behavioral disorders
Johnson’s core beliefs about addiction intervention was being able to reach out to the addicted individual before he or she hit rock bottom therefore preventing their lives from literally being torn to shreds. He began conducting what he called “interventions” in his church as of 1962. These were informal meetings which involved the addicted individual’s family, friends, and even their fellow co-workers. They all met together in order to talk to the individual regarding their concerns about their alcohol (or drug) addiction, self-destructive behavior, and the damage it was causing the other individuals participating in the addiction intervention, hence the birth of the terminology “family intervention.” As a result of being a priest and the fact that these interventions produced positive results, Johnson created a network which saw his program spread throughout the Midwest and eventually the entire US.

the overall goal of addiction intervention

It is important to realize first and foremost that the overall goal of conducting any type of addiction intervention is the confronting of the addicted individual in a manner that is non-threatening and allows or enables them to see that their behavior is self-destructive. Additionally, the secondary goal is that the addicted individual needs to see how destructive their behavior is to family members, friends, and even their fellow employees. The ultimate goal of the addiction intervention is that the individual accepts the fact that he or she does have a problem and that they need to seek help immediately.