In truth, families and friends often get very resentful of their alcoholic or drug addicted person’s behavior. It’s hard for them not to secretly believe that alcoholics and addicts could quit if they wanted to do it. It’s hard to shake that belief and all the deep feelings involved.

The reality is most addicted people cannot quit without some kind of intervention, or some kind of treatment. The intimate threat of withdrawal pain prevents the best intentions from happening - over and over.  It’s as simple as that.

If there to be progress in abstinence, there really needs to be a provision made for ethically managing withdrawal. That usually take research and work. For example, detox can happen privately with a sympathetic, knowledgeable primary care physician, or in a detox program, or the beginning part of private rehab program.

The other option is quitting ‘cold turkey’ - on their own. This has a lot of risky drawbacks and a lot of well known reasons why it doesn’t work very well.  It’s been done, however without significant follow up activity it usually doesn’t last. Fact. Then they are back to square one.

This is where families might want to consider making an actual intervention. This process increases the chance of success and makes it very obvious to the addict or alcoholic that his or her family has come to the point that they will take active organized action to support them. This cuts through the excuses and manipulations so well done for years by the addicted one.

Generally here’s how it works. Family members decide if they want to be involved in an intervention. Then there will need to be a few actual or online meetings of the people who are willing to be involved. There will be discussions, airing out of beliefs and experiences and finally agreement on the process to take.

It isn’t easy. It can be cathartic for family and friends or not. No way to tell. The process involves putting the pieces of the action into place prior to the actual event. Contacting a detox or rehab program ahead of time and checking insurance or other admission needs also may come first.  

If the choice is a private physician, that needs to be discussed and arranged a head of time. It can present ethical concerns for the doctor that will need to be considered.

The point is that there will be a place in the process where the addict or alcoholic is able to make a choice to get help with full support of the friends or family ntervention members. Then the help needs to be immediately available.

Intervention is a process that is done frequently. It isn’t easy but there is a lot known about how to do it. If you want to consider this option, please contact Pink Cloud Therapy at 609-342-7502 or request an appointment.