Substance abuse is on the rise among college age students and adults across a variety of industries. Attempting to deal with the anxiety and stress of their daily life, it can become a crutch to deny any physical sensations, thoughts, or emotions that are otherwise hard to process. The reality is though that using addictive substances like alcohol, drugs, etc. are extremely harmful and cause lasting debilitating effects on a person’s body and mind. If you are a friend or family member of someone who’s experiencing an addiction, it may be difficult to address it at first and try to help them fix their problem. However, it’s important to seek a professional instead who can give you the proper tools to succeed. Entering a rehabilitation …show more content…
A lot times people may try to force their advice on to the addict and end up feeling frustrated when it’s returned with a stubborn or rebellious attitude. Anyone who is also codependent to the addict will feel these emotions in great volume, as they rely on one another to get through the day and may believe they are responsible for each other’s actions. As a result, extremely close friends or family to the addict can often feel upset or guilty about their habits, will overanalyze their exchanges in search of the “right” thing to say, etc. It’s critical to take a step back from that cycle and get educated about how to have an intervention that will be successful. This can be done with a professional who will make sure that both parties are on the same page to overcome the addiction and can create long-term goals and changes to establish in the household.
Why do an Intervention?
Unlike a friend or family member who knows the addict too well to provide effective help, a professional interventionist can observe the situation from a neutral standpoint and offer help based on their experience. After working in the rehabilitation industry, they understand that addicts can be difficult to truly communicate to and ignite a change from. That’s why they encourage families and an addict to attend sessions together so that they can be united under one vision of working together to become
At the beginning of my training, I was hesitant to work with people struggling with addiction. However, at this point, I am excited to begin working with this population. The raw honesty presented in the group setting along with the anger at the possibility of losing a safe place created a dynamic I wanted to further explore. Research supports that individuals attending group therapy in a 12 step program format succeed if they have the proper support and motivation (Cite). The group dynamic demonstrated that recovery takes time and self-discovery, similar to other situations dealt with in therapy. Subsequently, by using my sense of self and humor with clients struggling with addiction, I can help them in their journey. Furthermore, the client needs to identify accountability at their own pace in the process and not when others dictate. This knowledge and the personalization of addiction will aid me in the future support of my
Drug addiction and alcoholism have a devastating effect on not only the addicts who suffers from these illnesses, but also on friends, family and workmates who interact with these addicts on a regular basis. When the addict finally succumbs to their addiction, the only way out is usually through the help of a professional and reputable inpatient addiction treatment center.
Drug and chemical abuse affect many families and that particular family that lives through a loved one who is an addict and the priority is to get help for the individual. In any intervention that involves drug addicts, a family's disposition is very important. Full recovery of any drug addict involves the restoration of the person's life as well as ensuring that those who are around the addict have the best ability when it comes to helping with abstinence which is a long-term goal. Abusers are often in denial or even believe that they are totally in control of their use of drugs
Substance abuse and addiction can impact every aspect of a person’s daily life, relationships, employment, and can have a profound impact on the user’s overall health. The certified professionals at the addiction treatment centers in Silver Spring, Maryland are uniquely qualified to mitigate the physical aspects of detox and withdrawl, but also help the individual to work through and resolve the many issues that evolve out of addiction. The addiction treatment centers in Baltimore, Maryland, and the surrounding area, offer inpatient services, outpatient care, and residential treatment options.
It was never my intention to work with addicted clients, but nearly every family therapy course I have taken has, either overtly or covertly, stressed the need to understand addictions. While I understand the concept on a cognitive level, I had judgements about the type of people that become addicted and did not feel compelled to work with them, until my niece died. Her drug addiction deeply affected all members of her immediate family. Her parents and her step-dad, my brother, each reacted to my niece’s addiction in different ways but none were successful and the family began to fail under the stress.
Getting help for drug addiction is often such an intimidating idea that many addicts continue to use rather than expose themselves to the embarrassment or pain that they have associated with reaching out to someone for help. This is in large part due to the fact that television, books and movies have portrayed drug rehab centers in such a negative light that the reality is actually quite incomprehensibly different than these depictions. Millions of people have gotten help for addiction and gone on to lead productive and fulfilling lives free from the bonds of substance abuse. However, there are plenty still who delayed treatment for one reason or another and suffered severe consequences by doing so. Because addiction is a progressive and
A substance abuse professional should be consulted for setting up the intervention. The professional could be a counselor, therapist or doctor. They will have the necessary experience and tools to make the intervention process go smoothly. If the loved one has a history of being defensive, violent or suicidal, then the professional should conduct the intervention. This is especially true if the loved one has a history of mental illness or long term addiction. Decide on a day and time that works for all individuals involved. Be sure to choose a private and comfortable location, such as a friend's home.
In the article “What Can I Say to Make You to Stop?” written by Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation writes about how a friend/family member can do to help their loved one find help with addiction. It also gives advice regarding how to help them. When I was going through my addiction days this sort of information would have helped my family immensely. It’s hard to have someone you care about have an addiction and not know what to do, or how to help. So, I will be discussing on how the main points the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation talk about in their article could really help others, with friends/family members that have an addiction problem.
For this situation, a plan is thought of and utilized by individuals from the family or other interventionist to face an addict and confront them on their behavior in hopes of change. During tradition intervention, the patient is giving a decision on whether they would like to get treatment or face the outcomes of their wellbeing risky practices (Eliopoulos, 2010). Also, the intervention procedure is organized such that the interventionist relates to a treatment focus to intercede with the patient and arranges the way to get them there. Both complimentary and traditional interventions concentrate on enhancing the strength of a given patient by concentrating on empowering such patients to accomplish a given set results (Eliopoulos, 2010).
Staging an intervention without the facilitation of a professional can actually hinder the individual from getting treatment. For one, addiction affects the whole family, and therefore, it often requires an unbiased person outside of the family system such as a mental healht counselor to make sure the discussion remain objective. Family members are often guilty of enabling their loved ones and covering up mistakes that occur as a result of an addiction. A professional will ensure that family members are honest about the pain and suffering they experience because of the addiction. A professional can also follow-up to guarantee that any consequences previously stated are actually carried out.
Many drug addicts are kids or parents, professionals or the people next door. Drug addiction does not discriminate and no one in our community is safe from it. In patient drug rehab centers are devoted to getting people off drugs and alcohol through education and treatment. Only by confronting drug use and addiction on all levels as Drug rehab does, will we be able to defend our loved ones from the devastation that drug addiction brings.
In addition, a professional knows that every addict is different and there is not one specific treatment that will help all clients, each approach should be unique to
A change in any part of a system will bring about changes in all other parts,” (4). Family is a system and within that system, all of them are necessary in the treatment of an addict. It is necessary for the addicted individual to receive treatment but equally important is for the family as a whole to get help. Often, substance abuse counselors focus on the needs of those with the substance abuse disorder. According to Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (4), “Whether a child or adult is the family member who uses substances, the entire family system needs to change, not just the identified patient (IP). Family therapy helps the family make interpersonal, intrapersonal, and environmental changes affecting the person using alcohol or drugs.” It is necessary for the entire family system to take part in getting better. If a family takes part in the healing, it can help them understand what is going on. This can help by removing an idea that the addicted individual may have that he or she is being ganged up on (4). As discussed above, siblings may see their brother or sister abusing drugs and themselves become an addict. Family therapy is also important in the prevention of this occurring. “A major goal of family therapy in substance abuse treatment is prevention – especially keeping substance abuse from moving from one generation to another. If the person abusing substances is
Chronic substance abuse results in harmful changes to a person’s body and biochemistry makeup. As a result, drug addicts need constant social support in order to maintain sobriety. A safe and stable home environment is critical for drug addicts to properly recover. One of the biggest problems that people in outpatient treatment experience is being exposed to drugs and temptations at home. In addition to this, unsupportive individuals, who are opposed to treatment, may pressure or persuade addicts to abandon treatment. The more positive support a patient receives, the more likely they are to successfully recover. This includes social, physical, emotional and resource
This question is of importance because of the children. Addicts are viewed in their own category when being treated. Their family and especially children are often overlooked by professionals. Everyone is so concerned about