How to Know It’s Time for an Intervention

When loved ones are suffering from drug and alcohol addiction, it affects them and everyone close to them. Dealing with an addicted loved one becomes especially difficult when that loved one has no desire to get help. If your loved one is refusing to receive addiction treatment, it may be time for an intervention.

What is a Drug and Alcohol Intervention?

A drug and alcohol intervention occurs when the family and friends of addicts come together to lovingly confront them. The goal is to convince the addicts that they need to attend rehab.

More likely than not, your addicted loved ones aren’t going to be initially receptive to intervention. This is especially true if they’re still denying their existing problem. Therefore, it’s essential to plan an intervention out ahead of time. To do this you’ll need to schedule a date and time in advance. Just make sure that the date and time work for everyone that plans on being a part of the intervention.

It’s also essential to consult a professional interventionist to help you assist with planning an intervention. A professional interventionist will help you come up with effective dialogue to use during the intervention. They can also help you choose an effective and affordable treatment center for your loved one. Professional interventionists can even educate you on how to support your addicted loved one without enabling him or her.

Prior to conducting a drug and alcohol intervention, it’s also important to know the type of intervention that will best suit your addicted loved one’s needs. This way, you’re able to accurately understand the situation before the intervention. Some of the different types of drug and alcohol interventions are described below.

Types of Drug and Alcohol Interventions

There are four major types of drug and alcohol interventions. These four intervention types include a family system intervention, a rooted in crisis intervention, a one-on-one intervention, and a classic intervention. Each is unique and offers different options depending on the situation.

Family System Intervention

A family system intervention is an intervention that confronts more than one family member that’s suffering from a drug and alcohol addiction. When more than one family member suffers from addiction, it often worsens the severity of the addiction for both addicts. This is because the addicted family members are comfortable enough with one another to use drugs together.

Having a partner in crime to practice drug abuse also helps relieve addicts of shame. This will make it easier for them to continue to abuse more and more substances. It will also make it harder for addicts to take the concerns that others have about their addictions seriously. Thus, to effectively conduct an intervention for two or more family members using the family system intervention is recommended.

Rooted in Crisis Intervention

Rooted in crisis interventions are for addicts that have recently experienced a non-fatal overdose. When an addict overdoses, it means that his or her addiction has become life-threatening. Thus, drug and alcohol intervention is necessary.

For some addicts, a non-fatal overdose is enough to scare them into wanting to receive treatment. Even if this is true for your loved one, he or she will need family and friend support to take that next step. If your loved one is still resistant to receiving treatment after a non-fatal overdose, it’s time for crisis intervention.

One-on-one Intervention

A one-on-one intervention is when one family member or close friend of an addict confronts the addict. In this form of intervention, the addict is confronted about his or her addiction in a one-on-one conversation. Sometimes an intimate one-on-one setting can be beneficial.

One-on-one drug and alcohol interventions are for addicts whose addictions are not that severe. For this form of intervention to work, the person confronting the addict needs to be someone the addict respects. That way the addict will be more likely to take up his or her advice.

Classic Intervention

A classic intervention is the type of intervention that you probably think about when you hear the word intervention. These types of interventions operate in the standard way. Thus, in classic interventions, a small group of family members and close friends of an addict confront the addict about his or her addiction. This is not a confrontation but rather a discussion and topic of concern.

Signs That You Need to Conduct an Intervention

Addicts are good at hiding what they’re going through with the people around them. Thus, it’s important to recognize the signs that your loved one might need an intervention. Some of the classic signs of an addict needing a drug and alcohol intervention are described below.

The Addict is Acting Sketchy and Lies About Where He or She is Going

When a suspected loved one constantly lies about where he or she is going, this is usually a sign of addiction. Addicts often lie about their whereabouts because they know that what they’re doing is wrong. Addicts also often lie about their whereabouts so that they don’t get caught using drugs.

It also doesn’t help that addiction causes changes in people’s brain chemistry. These changes often lead addicts to exhibit more reckless behavior, like lying. Thus, if your loved one who you know abuses drugs is always lying about where he or she is, it’s likely time for an intervention.

Increased Tolerance

Addicts are dependent on the substances that they use. Thus, addicts need more and more substances to get the high that they initially got when first used drugs. When addicts need more substances to get high than initially, it means that their tolerance has increased. This is a sign that it might be time for an intervention.

Addict Appears Out of It All the Time

When people chronically abuse drugs, their minds get foggy and they aren’t as sharp as they normally are. This is because the drugs are causing changes to their brains’ chemistry. Thus, if your loved one who abuses drugs always seems to be out of it, it’s time for an intervention.

Poor Personal Hygiene

People that chronically abuse drugs are often too consumed with getting more drugs to worry about their appearance or cleanliness. Thus, addicts often appear dirty and unkempt. If your loved one who abuses drugs suddenly seems to have poor personal hygiene, it’s likely time for a drug and alcohol intervention.

Addict Is Always Irritable

It’s known that chronic drug abuse causes changes in the brain’s chemistry and also causes changes in people’s emotions. As a result, addicts often exhibit extreme emotions. For example, many addicts are often irritable for no reason. Such behavior in an addict calls for a drug and alcohol intervention.

Financial Problems

Addicts often become so obsessed with getting more drugs that they spend all of their money on it. As a result, many addicts struggle with finances. This usually causes addicts to ask their family members and close friends for money. If your loved one who always abuses drugs suddenly seems to always be out of money, it may be because he or she needs a drug and alcohol intervention.

Addicts Isolate Themselves From Others

Addicts often know that their chronic drug abuse is wrong. They’ve just become so addicted to drugs that they’re willing to sacrifice their social lives for it. Thus, to avoid the shame that comes with everyone knowing about their drug addictions, addicts will isolate themselves from the people closest to them.

To confront such people about their possible addictions, it’s important to keep this isolation in mind. It’s also crucial to only invite the family members and friends that the addicts feel most comfortable with to the intervention. That way, the addicts don’t feel ambushed and are more comfortable talking about their addiction.

The Addict is In Denial

Some addicts will deny that they have an addiction for as long as they can. If addicted loved ones can’t admit to having a problem, then they’ll never take the initiative to seek treatment. Thus, it’s imperative that you give such people drug and alcohol interventions. The point of an intervention is to show people first hand the effects of their drug use.

The Addict’s Health Is Deteriorating

When your loved one abuses substances for an extended period of time, his or her health may start to deteriorate. Depending on the drug, the symptoms can be very severe, in the short and long-term. Withdrawal symptoms can be a big indicator of drug use and addiction. Thus, If you notice that a loved one is experiencing withdrawal symptoms, it’s time for an intervention. Don’t wait until things get worse.

The Addict’s Life Is Negatively Affecting Your Life

When your loved one suffers from addiction, it can quickly become your issue too. Unfortunately, if you allow your loved one’s addiction to take over your life, you will become burnt out. Then you won’t be able to help your loved one. Thus, it’s important to not become an enabler. Instead, hold your loved one accountable by giving him or her a drug and alcohol intervention.

Free By the Sea Can Help Your Loved One Receive Addiction Treatment

If your loved one is suffering from addiction but refuses to receive addiction treatment, we offer drug and alcohol intervention services. While Free By The Sea does not have an intervention specialist on staff, they are able to assist clients in finding a qualified professional who can provide the guidance and support they need. We’ll help you and your loved one pick out an addiction treatment program that will best suit their needs.

At Free By the Sea, we know all of the negative things that can happen to an addict that doesn’t receive addiction treatment. Thus, we make sure to provide high-quality addiction treatment programs for every type of drug and alcohol addict. Whether your loved ones suffer from addiction to alcohol, meth, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, or a prescription drug, we have detox and addiction treatment programs that can help them. We also provide specialized addiction treatment programs for people of all genders and age groups.

To learn more about our treatment center and the addiction treatment services that we offer, contact us today. Our staff is available to pick up your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.