Drug Addiction Intervention in Union City, NJ
When appeals to the addict's sense of personal responsibility do not bring results, then, how do you know what your choices are? We get this question often at our center for drug addiction intervention in Union City. The answer is, you begin planning an intervention.
If someone you love struggles with addiction, you've probably talked to them, or even fought with them about it. As you've probably discovered, such simple appeals do not work. Not because addicts are callous or irresponsible, but because addictive substances affect the brain in very specific ways to make self-awareness difficult.
If you feel you don't know the first thing about interventions, you aren't alone. Most people don't. Calling us to talk to one of our experts can be an excellent way to get started, however. A little introduction to the concept, first, should help.
What is an intervention?
Interventions are an attempt at persuasion by friends and family who really care about the addict. If such attempts by one person fail to work, bringing several people together usually will. Even in the cloud of denial that addicts live in, it can be hard for them to stick to their guns when they face everyone they know in one room.
How to Conduct an Intervention
In concept, an intervention is simple enough — everyone gets together to talk to the addict offering reasoning, emotional pleas and tough ultimatums, and wait for good sense to finally win out. In practice, though, most informal interventions fail.
Outcomes tend to be poor for a number of reasons. The main ones, however, are a general lack of understanding about what addictions even are, and a lack of preparedness for the stonewalling that addicts tend to be adept at.
The key to success in an intervention is to bring in someone capable of offering guidance. At our drug rehab in Union City, our department for drug addiction intervention in Union City works hard with the families of patients to enable effective interventions.
How Do Interventionists Help?
An expert in drug addiction intervention treatment has training and experience in dealing with the extreme sense of denial that people with addictions tend to possess. An expert knows what kind of approaches work.
The first thing that an interventionist does is help assemble the right group. Friends and family members who are likely to be able to approach the process with a calm and logical mind are ideal.
Once the right members are in, the interventionist offers everyone a crash course in addiction science. Everyone learns how addictive behavior is not about a lack of personal responsibility, but rather about a serious mental disorder caused by intoxicating substances. Then, the interventionist learns as much as possible about the addict himself, and devises a plan for how everyone should approach the intervention.
If the interventionist learns that the addict has a tendency to leave in the middle of conversations, for example, he may have everyone write concise letters to the addict, to be read out during the intervention. These letters may relate feelings of compassion, and examples of instances when the addict's behavior caused pain. These often work better than unscripted conversation.
Rehearsals are conducted to ensure that no one loses their temper or makes hurtful accusations, and everyone learns answers to the most common comebacks that addicts tend to have in these situations. During the drug intervention for addiction itself, interventionist stands by as the calm voice of scientific reason, offering authoritative answers when needed.
Do Interventions Really Work?
Nine out of 10 interventions conducted by expert interventionists do succeed. They do end up being persuasive enough to have addicts accept treatment programs in Union City. Informal drug addiction intervention programs, on the other hand, fail much of the time. Someone tends to lose their temper, the addict is able to stall, or the group falls for an offer by the addict for something noncommittal, such as a promise to seek treatment on their own.
At our center for drug addiction intervention in Union City, we frequently encounter families that make the mistake of putting off interventions for too long. It's a common misconception that interventions only work when an addict has hit rock bottom.
Nothing could be for the truth, however. The earlier in an addict's journey into addiction that an intervention is conducted, the more successful both the intervention and the treatments that follow are likely to be.
If you're concerned about a loved one, you should call us right away to talk to an intervention specialist (877) 804-1531. You'll learn a great deal that directly helps improve the outcome of your attempt.