Addiction Intervention
Helping a Loved One with an Addiction
When one person is caught in addiction, they usually take several close loved ones into the swirl of pain and turmoil along with them. Families who have a dear one living in addiction usually experience a gamut of emotions. Fear, anger, guilt, concern, shame and frustration are the norm for those closest to the addicted person. However, without meaning to do so, the family who wants to help can actually wind up exhibiting behaviors that are enabling rather than helpful. It isn’t the desire to help that is missing; it is knowing how to help that is absent. Here are six ways you can help. Full Story
Seven Steps to Take if your Spouse is Abusing Alcohol or Drugs
Alcoholism and drug addiction are serious problems. Both not only have a significant impact on the well-being of the addicted individual, but they adversely affect everyone else in their life as well. This is especially true for anyone married to an addict.
How to Launch a Successful Intervention: The Dos and the Don’ts
Many people have come to think of the organized intervention as a last resort, something to turn to when everything else that has been tried has failed to get through to a substance abuser. But this is a mistaken idea, and a counterproductive one as well. In fact, interventions are all about finding a method to facilitate more effective communication; they are designed to make it easier for those who care about an addict to break through the walls of denial and hostility that can make it so difficult to reach someone who has fallen into the sinister clutches of drug or alcohol dependency. Interventions are an alternative to futility, and as such they can be the key that opens the door to sobriety for an addict at any stage of his or her disease.
Why Am I Not an Addict?
The causes of drug addiction and alcoholism are very complex. Based on myriad studies, many researchers conclude that as much as 50% of addiction is attributable to genetics. What this supposes is that if you have a parent who is addicted to drugs or abuses alcohol, you have a 50% likelihood of developing an addiction. If there are multiple kids in the family, your siblings are equally predisposed to addiction and their chances of developing addiction are the same as yours. Full Story
When Intervention Fails
When the family members and loved ones of someone with a substance abuse problem make the decision to try an intervention, they enter into the process with the highest of hopes. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that an intervention, no matter how well organized or executed, will be enough to convince an addict that the time has truly come to make a change. It all may work out perfectly on television or in the movies, but in real life the powerful influence exerted by drugs or alcohol can be so overwhelming that those who are addicted will be unable to break through the walls of rationalization and denial that separate them from sobriety and healing. Full Story
Tips From Experts If You Think a Co-Worker Might Have a Substance Abuse Problem
If you are worried about a co-worker and think they might have a substance abuse problem there are steps you can take to help determine what to do, according to L.A. Times. It is always important to seek the advice of a professional in the field since they have the knowledge to deal with this type of situation if you suspect drug abuse. Full Story
Interventions Help Shape Students’ Decisions About Drinking
Students entering college are facing many decisions about the lifestyle they will have during college. Many students transition to new habits relating to food, exercise and social activities. For some, the first weeks will introduce new opportunities to consume alcohol that will shape the patterns of drinking for their college career. Full Story
Drug And Alcohol Intervention For College Students
By the time our sons and daughters have gone off to college, we may think that they’ve entered an exciting new chapter of their lives. While it is true that the college years can be full of discovery, meeting new people, learning new things, and broadening perspective on life and living, college also brings with it many temptations and opportunities to go overboard with alcohol and drugs. Full Story
Drug and Alcohol Intervention for Young Adults
Entering adulthood can be an exciting time. It can also be a time of great stress and temptation to engage in drug and alcohol experimentation which can lead to dependence and addiction. It’s tough to see a young adult go through the misery associated with substance abuse problems, and maybe the time could be right to consider drug and alcohol intervention for young adults. Full Story
Teen Intervention for Drug or Alcohol Abuse
Let’s face it: It’s tough being the parents of a teenager. Your mind races with thoughts of all the dangerous situations your child can become involved in, not the least of which is experimentation with alcohol and drugs. But when the symptoms of drug and alcohol abuse start mounting up, it’s time to take action in the form of a teen intervention. Full Story
Need Help Finding an Intervention Specialist?
We can refer you to an experienced interventionist who can help you help your loved one.
The Addiction Primer: Everything You Need to Know to Get Help for a Loved One
A very inexpensive yet indispensable guide for anyone struggling with a loved one's addiction. Chapters on intervention, what to expect from rehab, and information on how addiction impacts the family.
