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How To Conduct A Proper Drug Intervention

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.

Once an addict's health has been compromised due to their problem with drugs, it may be time for friends and family members to consider a drug intervention. Interventions are often last ditch efforts to help a family member get off drugs, and not all interventions are successful.

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.

When dealing with a serious drug addiction, such as a heavy methamphetamine, cocaine, or heroin addiction, seeking the help of a substance abuse counselor and setting up an intervention with the sole purpose of getting the addict into treatment is the best course of action.

Feelings of remorse or resentment towards someone you care about who is now a drug addict are perfectly normal. What you cannot allow is for these feelings to manifest as sympathy or hatred. Sympathetic friends or family members will be the first to be taken advantage of, and when an addict feels betrayed they are liable to perform irrational acts of violence stemming from their addiction. Stopping drug abuse is the number one goal of an intervention, and you cannot allow your emotions to blind you when someone's life is in the balance.

During the intervention, it is helpful to remember several things. One thing is that you should not be afraid to become emotional. Drug abuse and getting clean can be a life or death situation. It is for this reason that you should express every concern in your mind to your friend or family member who has a drug problem. You should also urge other intervention team members to speak their minds, although remember that drug addicts can be offended just like everyone else. Take special care to be stern yet unintimidating in your approach.

What to Do If Interventions Fail

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.

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