You care very deeply about someone with a drug or alcohol problem. You can see this problem is tearing them apart. And because you care so much, it’s tearing you apart, too.
You’ve talked with this person on countless occasions—begged, pleaded, bargained. Promises have been made and broken so many times you’ve lost count. Perhaps there were glimmers of hope: a few days, weeks or months without drinking or drugs, where everything seemed to be under control again. But it never lasted longer than that.
And every time it fell apart, it seemed to get worse. The problems compounded quickly. First there were money problems. Then he or she became totally undependable—not showing up at home, at work or at school. You worried yourself sick. You can see it getting worse by the day, but he or she just can’t admit the problem, or can’t get it together enough to get help.
Now, you’re considering intervention. That’s a big decision to make.
It’s important to know that drug or alcohol rehab treatment is effective, even when the addict or alcoholic doesn’t “want” it. Studies have consistently shown that those who enter alcohol or drug rehab centers at the urging of friends, family or the legal system can do as well—or better—than those who enter voluntarily.
In its broadest form, intervention is simply a structured meeting that takes place between the addict/alcoholic and the people whose lives are most affected by his or her behavior. The objective of intervention is to bring about an awareness of what the person’s addictive behavior is doing—not only to him or her self, but also to the people who care about the alcoholic/addict. Intervention also gives those who care an opportunity to express a new set of boundaries with regard to the alcoholic/addict’s behavior.
Alcoholics and addicts live in an altered state of reality. The things that matter to most of us are of secondary consequence to them. Intervention is designed to break through the addict’s altered state, and present the reality of his or her situation in a compassionate yet concrete manner.
