Intervening when a Friend is Addicted to Drugs
Watching someone you love struggle with an addiction can be a painful experience. You want to help them, you may even want to fix them, but you know that you can’t. Even if you’ve never experienced addiction first hand, you’ve no doubt realized that the addiction will only be overcome if the addict is willing to admit that they have a problem and is ready to do the work necessary to address their problem.
There is one thing that friends and family members can do in order to facilitate the recovery of their loved one. They can work together to stage a drug intervention . This should be done with the help of an experienced drug intervention professional or counselor. They can help with the organization of the event and can prepare all participants for what to expect both from their own participation and from the addict. Intervention specialists should also be able to facilitate the event to make sure that everyone has a chance to address the addict.
A successful intervention is one in which all participants get a chance to explain how their friend’s addiction is negatively impacting their life and their relationship with the addict. It should lead the addict to realize that they have to take responsibility for their addiction and for those negative consequences. Ideally, it will end with the addict agreeing to seek treatment and heading off to a rehab program accompanied by the counselor or family members.