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How To Conduct A Proper Drug Intervention

By: Chris Channing Living life with a loved one who has an addiction to illicit drugs can be painfully difficult. The first signs of an addiction seem innocent at first, but eventually the defensiveness and secretive nature of drug addicts become more than enough to bear. As drug abuse continues, certain health risks associated with whatever drugs are being abused may come to light, and it is at this point that drastic measures need to be taken to get them off of drugs.

If you believe that a loved one's health is at risk due to a substance abuse addiction, then one option you may consider is an intervention. Interventions are often the final step in a family's attempt to get a loved one off of drugs, and intervention failure can be devastating.

During the early stages of substance abuse, before chemical dependency has set in, small interventions involving the closest friends and family to a drug addict are good at convincing the addict to lead a sober lifestyle. Since they still use the drug recreationally, quitting cold turkey may still be possible. If you are unsure whether it is too late for a small scale intervention, contact a licensed substance abuse counselor.

If a drug addict's dependence on substance abuse has become a serious threat to their health, as is the case in many amphetamine, heroin, and cocaine addictions, full scale interventions may be the only thing stopping an addict from dying. Immediate contact with a professional counselor should be made. Counselors will help you figure out the best course of action, set up the intervention, and get your loved one into treatment.

It is not uncommon for people to feel sympathetic to the condition of a drug addict. Feeling remorse is normal, but do not allow yourself to become tolerant of the addiction and enable their drug abuse. There are not many things more pathetic than an addict who has reached rock bottom, and once they do, some addicts will finally realize that they have a problem and seek help. Make sure you let the drug addict in your life know that abstaining from drug use is your number one priority. Although drug interventions often fail, abstinence is more important than anything in cases where interventions are absolutely necessary.

There are several main points to remember during and intervention that can help it go well. How you approach the addict is key, and overly aggressive tactics by the intervention team can backfire terribly. Make sure that when speaking about your feelings, you hold back none of your concern and use a voice that lets the drug addict know that you care for their life. Surprise interventions and snide remarks are almost certain to offend the drug addict, and in the worst case scenario they may storm out of the room to go find a place to get high.

When an Intervention Fails

The risk of failure is very real when dealing with drug addicts and interventions. Always know how you plan on picking up the pieces after a failed intervention. Contacting law enforcement may be the only option available, but if at all possible convincing an addict to enter a drug addiction treatment center should remain your goal.