When you decide to begin encouraging a loved one to accept addiction treatment, making use of intervention strategies will be immensely helpful throughout the entire process. Intervention strategies are designed to assist you in the careful planning and execution of your intervention.
Alcohol and substance abuse does not only affect the addicted person. It’s obvious that the person addicted is adversely affected by their addiction. However, many addicts fail to realise how big of an impact their addiction has directly on their family and close friends.
Loved ones often feel extremely powerless in these situations and find it painful to watch someone they care about - suffer at the hands of their own addiction.
Sometimes the only hope is that the they choose to seek treatment for their addiction before reaching a point of no return. Sometimes, in order to make a change for the better, one has to reach what is often referred to as rock bottom. It is at this point where lives are changed forever.
Rock bottom may seem like a harsh place to be, and nobody will readily wish for their loved one to reach this point. However, it is at this point that many come to realise that they can no longer continue to live this way and that they need to change their lives.
What’s important to note is that “rock bottom” is subjective and relative to each person’s situation. Some may reach what they perceive as rock bottom without having lost much at all.
However, in the case of addiction, many lose money, friends, family and even their homes.
While in the process of using intervention strategies to encourage your loved one to accept addiction treatment, it is crucial that you do not provide the idea of rock bottom as being a stage to reach where stopping their abuse becomes easy.
Rock bottom is a frame of mind and a conscious choice that must be made towards a better life.
Many people, when approached by their family will often feel that they are not ready or suitable for rehabilitation. However, using well planned intervention strategies to gently encourage them may result in them accepting treatment even if it’s with a little resistance.
Resisting treatment for addiction forms part of denial. Often people admit that they have a problem, yet they still believe that they do not need help to change.
Furthermore, addiction is isolating – causing most to feel alone and weak in their struggle.
A well-planned intervention has the ability to create a safe space, one where loved ones can reach out, showing their support and love for the person. Knowing someone is there, even after the damage that have caused, is sometimes all it takes to encourage someone to seek help.
An intervention is not a space to start commanding and demanding change from a person, it must always be a loving, supportive space – where encouragement used rather than authority.
Furthermore, bringing up the topic of seeking help while the person is under the influence is not a good strategy. Using either of these approaches will drive the person further away from the idea of treatment.
It’s a good idea to approach the subject when the person is feeling remorseful or if there is a serious situation that arises due to their addiction behaviours - such as being arrested or crashing their car.
There will always be moments when the person is more open to the idea of rehabilitation, regardless of how resistant they are in general. It is important to be patient and identify these moments in order to use them wisely.
Contact our addiction treatment centre, for help with using intervention strategies when encouraging a loved one to accept addiction treatment.
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