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The Intervention Process – The Call

The following is Part 2 in the Intervention FAQ Series. These questions arise most frequently regarding the Intervention process. Please feel free to peruse the questions and answers, and if you need further help we are always available at [email protected], or 888-426-6086.

Continued from first in the series “The Intervention Process – What It’s Really Like.”

Question: When someone calls for the first time, typically what do they ask first?

Answer: People who call in for the first time have doubts about the Intervention process and want to know if it is like on television?

Question: Is it like on television?

Answer: NO, it is not like on television. A lot of is edited for the ‘entertainment purposes.” Rarely do they show coaching and education that comes along with the process, and focus a bit more on the dramatic points of an intervention, and rarely is the actually intervention a fifteen minutes long.

Question: What type of preparation is needed for an intervention?

Answer: It starts with an initial assessment of the family situation, safety concerns and who would be willing to participate? When the decision is made to do an intervention a more in-depth assessment of the situation of the addict, the family and the dynamic between them is done. In addition to this, it is important provide education about the disease of addiction, family dynamics, and family dysfunction. Often times the family sees addiction as ‘bad behavior’ and they don’t understand that the brain of an addict functions differently than the non-addicted. It is a mental condition of an addict and the family, and is not a character, moral or willpower issue. It is a brain disease.

Question: What is meant by ‘mental condition of an addict and the family?’

Answer: Addiction is a compulsive disorder that continues despite negative consequences. The addict has lost control over consumptions and behavior. Those closest to the addict are also affected by the resulting behavior and circumstances surrounding addiction. Overtime things get progressively worse. Everyone is affected mentally, emotionally and physically to some degree. The addict’s job is to sustain his addiction, with lying, cheating, stealing, and manipulation-whatever works. The family’s job can be to try to stop, or change the behavior, control the damage, hide the problem, or save themselves, but the problem is too big. Everybody is stuck doing things that are ineffective or even making things worse. Fear, anger, hopelessness, anxiety, grief, rage, isolation-the list goes on and on. Some families are healthier than others; some members within a family are healthier than others, but when something like addiction is going on in a family for a significant period of time it can be mentally and emotionally devastating. Oftentimes families have been suffering from addiction, codependency, and mental illness for generations. These families tend to be extremely dysfunctional.

If you have any questions about detox or treatment for yourself or a loved one, please call us 24-hours at (888) 426-6086 or contact us here.

 

Continue on with Educating the Family