When most people think of a drug intervention, they think of an Alcoholics Anonymous style meeting where friends and family of an addict gather in a circle at someone’s home and express, to the addict, their feelings about that person’s problem with drugs or alcohol. While this can be a very effective tool in curbing a person’s drug or alcohol addiction, there are many, less organized ways to conduct a drug intervention.
Something as simple as a friend telling a friend that they have a problem can be considered a drug intervention. If you and a friend are sitting at a bar and your friend has been there for about two weeks straight and you tell them that they either need to stop drinking now or seek professional help, you are intervening with their alcohol addiction.
A drug or alcohol addiction is intangible and somewhat hard to define so it is rather hard to know exactly when to intervene and how to go about it. At its early stages, the idea of an addiction, relative to an individual’s environment, is hard to pinpoint. If everyone around an addict uses drugs or alcohol, then it is hard to identify one person as being an addict. After a while, certain behaviors emerge that identify a person as an addict. An addict is someone who develops dependence, either physically or mentally on any substance. A drug or alcohol addict is usually characterized by constant prolonged use of alcohol or drugs, mood swings that hinge on the availability of drugs or alcohol, the inability to function properly without drugs or alcohol, fits of anger or depression, a constant preoccupation with drugs or alcohol and the inability to complete daily tasks. If you notice a friend or family member exhibit these symptoms, it is possible that they have an addiction and a drug intervention may be in order.
An intervention is no substitute for professional help, but an intervention, if done seriously and carefully, can be the first step towards an addict’s recovery. Interventions are important because addicts often surround themselves with other addicts who reinforce their behaviors rather than point out that they have a problem and their behavior is not acceptable. Narconon, the world leader in drug rehab programs, suggests that interventions be non-judgmental and non-critical. The intervention process is simply a way to give the addict objective feedback on how their addiction is affecting those around them.
The first step to a successful intervention is for an addict’s friends and family to stop making excuses for the addict, helping them and allowing them to continue with their destructive behavior. If possible, conduct interventions when the addict is sober and those involved in the intervention are calm. When you confront the addict, let them know you know about their addiction and let them know how it has affected you, citing specific instances. Let the addict know that there will be consequences if they do not clean up. Try and bring other friends and family into the intervention to provide support, but make sure that everyone remains calm.
An intervention is only a preliminary step in helping a drug addict. The intervention is merely a way to get an addict to agree to seek treatment for his or her problem. After the intervention help them find treatment and make sure they come out clean.
By Alex Turman