Addiction is stubborn.
That’s sort of an obvious statement but it’s true nonetheless and a core reason why many who need treatment, don’t seek it.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) points out;
- In 2015, an estimated 2.3 million people aged 12 or older who needed substance use treatment received treatment at a specialty facility in the past year. This number represents 10.8 percent of the 21.7 million people who needed substance use treatment in the past year.
- Among the estimated 19.3 million people aged 12 or older who were classified as needing but not receiving substance use treatment at a specialty facility, about 18.4 million or 95.4 percent did not think that they needed treatment in the past year for their substance use.
In other words, only around 11% of people sought rehab. As you see, addiction is stubborn.
What can be done then to help get your loved one the treatment they so clearly need?
An intervention.
What Is a Drug Addiction Intervention?
An intervention is a deliberate process by which change is introduced into an individual’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
It involves several respected and loved people close to the addict gathering to confront a person, in a non-threatening and non-aggressive way, to lay bare the depths of suffering that their addiction is causing themselves and their friends and family.
The idea is to hold a mirror to drug use and show them the effects. Similar to the TV show “Intervention”, you won’t want to let your loved one know about the intervention beforehand. If they do know about it, they most likely won’t want to attend or will go into it with their guard up.
The goal is to get them to commit to receiving help in the form of rehab and to that end, another critical element is the consequences and ultimatums that must be followed through on should your loved one refuse treatment.
How an Intervention Specialist in Los Angeles Will Help Your Loved One Get Sober
An intervention isn’t just having a quick chat, suggesting rehab, having your loved ones accept, and dropping them off.
As you most likely know very well by this point, it’s hard to convince someone who doesn’t think they have a problem to fix it. There can be rampant denialism that’s wrapped up in addiction and often discussions about drug use become contentious, accusatory, and ultimately counterproductive. Serving only to further cement the use of drugs or alcohol.
Therefore, attempting an intervention without professional guidance is generally asking for trouble.
A trained interventionist understands this and works with you and the rest of those who will be participating in the intervention to develop a plan of action. In fact, they’ll help you form the most effective and convincing “team” with which to confront your loved one.
Once in preparation, you may find you don’t know exactly what to say, an experienced interventionist can assist you in developing the messaging that will truly connect and hit home, as well as help you create meaningful consequences if they refuse care.
Additionally, there’s the important task of making arrangements with a treatment center. An interventionist can ensure you cover all the bases in finding one that truly is a good fit for your family member or friend.
Most importantly, they’ll be there on the day of the intervention to guide and lead it. It can be a tense, overwhelming and fraught meeting and for those who are unprepared for the torrent of emotions or haven’t been through it before – which is almost everyone – it can be hard to get through.
Let Footprints of Serenity Guide You Through the Intervention Process
Working with someone who’s been there many times before, an intervention specialist in Los Angeles, means you can rely on their steady guidance to get everyone through it and with maximum impact.
If you think your loved one may be at the breaking point and that an intervention could be effective, reach out to us at Footprints of Serenity to learn more.