An "Intervention" is an organized effort, led by a trained professional, that seeks to lovingly convince someone to get get help. It is is most often used for people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, but can be used with any addiction, and in certain circumstances with people who are mentally ill and refusing to accept help or take medication. The word "intervention" is used by all human services professionals to describe any action that is deemed helpful, so the word can be confusing. Here we are talking about "Family Intervention", as specific set of techniques designed to "help someone who doesn't want help."
Do I need to do a Family Intervention?
If you are reading this, and you are convinced that someone you love needs help and is refusing to get it, then, yes, you do. Only 10% or so alcoholics/addicts manage to get help on their own.
Why won't he do it on his own?
He has a disease that tells him he is not sick, and that most of the people is his family are crazy. That is oversimplified, of course, but it sums it up nicely. Modern science and technology have confirmed...and finally explained....what we have known for many years: addiction truly is a disease, rooted in a part of the brain that cannot think or make rational decisions. If you choose to do an intervention on your loved one it is crucial that you believe him/her to be sick, not evil or foolish. Yes, the behavior of the addict is often terrible (Mr. Hyde), but underneath is a precious, beautiful human being who can recover (Dr. Jekyll). Your interventionist will take the time to help your family understand how the disease process works. The good news is that this disease is quite treatable, and Family Intervention is a very effective way to make treatment and recovery possible.
Won't anything we do be a waste of time if he doesn't want help?
Repeated studies have shown that success rates in treatment centers are the same regardless of the motivation of the patient. This means that he doesn't have to want help; he just has to get help. This means she doesn't have to admit she has a problem; she just has to get in the car. In short: whatever we do in an ethical way to get them to get help is a good thing.
But I have been told things like "he was to want help", "she has to hit bottom first", "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink".
People who say such horrible things have not seen the research or had the experience of how interventions really work. When it comes to Family Intervention and addiction treatment such statements are absolutely not true.
What does a Family Intervention look like?
Please don't assume they look like something you have seen on TV. Successful interventions can be done in the Doctor's office, a courtroom (court-ordered treatment works well!), a counseling session, a pastor's study, etc. Your interventionist will take into account many circumstances and strategize with you to find the most effective way to go. It may be necessary to have a "surprise party" in which he/she is lovingly confronted and asked to go to treatment. If done correctly this kind of Intervention is very loving and non-judgmental, and without all the drama that people think is associated with Interventions.
Do I need to do a Family Intervention?
If you are reading this, and you are convinced that someone you love needs help and is refusing to get it, then, yes, you do. Only 10% or so alcoholics/addicts manage to get help on their own.
Why won't he do it on his own?
He has a disease that tells him he is not sick, and that most of the people is his family are crazy. That is oversimplified, of course, but it sums it up nicely. Modern science and technology have confirmed...and finally explained....what we have known for many years: addiction truly is a disease, rooted in a part of the brain that cannot think or make rational decisions. If you choose to do an intervention on your loved one it is crucial that you believe him/her to be sick, not evil or foolish. Yes, the behavior of the addict is often terrible (Mr. Hyde), but underneath is a precious, beautiful human being who can recover (Dr. Jekyll). Your interventionist will take the time to help your family understand how the disease process works. The good news is that this disease is quite treatable, and Family Intervention is a very effective way to make treatment and recovery possible.
Won't anything we do be a waste of time if he doesn't want help?
Repeated studies have shown that success rates in treatment centers are the same regardless of the motivation of the patient. This means that he doesn't have to want help; he just has to get help. This means she doesn't have to admit she has a problem; she just has to get in the car. In short: whatever we do in an ethical way to get them to get help is a good thing.
But I have been told things like "he was to want help", "she has to hit bottom first", "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink".
People who say such horrible things have not seen the research or had the experience of how interventions really work. When it comes to Family Intervention and addiction treatment such statements are absolutely not true.
What does a Family Intervention look like?
Please don't assume they look like something you have seen on TV. Successful interventions can be done in the Doctor's office, a courtroom (court-ordered treatment works well!), a counseling session, a pastor's study, etc. Your interventionist will take into account many circumstances and strategize with you to find the most effective way to go. It may be necessary to have a "surprise party" in which he/she is lovingly confronted and asked to go to treatment. If done correctly this kind of Intervention is very loving and non-judgmental, and without all the drama that people think is associated with Interventions.
