Watching a loved one struggle with addiction is heartbreaking, and the instinct to help is natural – but can be overwhelming. You may feel that if you say the right things, you’ll be able to convince them to seek treatment on your own. But addiction is a complex disease that impacts their brain, emotions, and behavior, making it nearly impossible to intervene effectively on your own. Professional and community support are essential to dealing with an addicted loved one.
Addiction is Not a Personal Choice
Many people mistakenly believe that addiction is simply a matter of willpower. However, this condition alters the brain chemistry, making it difficult for an individual to control their substance use even when they want to. Because this is a medical condition, it requires a structured, evidenced-based approach – something that a single family member or friend cannot provide alone.
Common Problems with Solo Interventions
The struggle with addiction can be very difficult to watch from the sidelines. Because this individual means so much to you, intervening alone may cloud your judgment. It can lead to emotional outbursts – yelling or crying or saying hurtful things out of frustration – that can derail the situation or make things worse. This is also a tense time for the family, and doing it with just one person might make the target of the intervention feel attacked, and that can result in anger – causing an even bigger rift between the two of you than what existed before.
Importance of a Structured Intervention
Being emotionally invested in the outcome can be very daunting. Bringing in a neutral professional that has experience with addiction will add an objective perspective to the process, fostering a more constructive space to work in. Professionals will help you create the message you want to deliver, steering away from blame and emphasizing the support you all want to give. Typically, these interventions will also educate the whole family on the recovery process, and will help prepare you for the next steps by coordinating the entry into the treatment facility.
Increased Likelihood of Success
Interventions are more successful when they involve multiple people, especially when led by someone experienced in addiction recovery. When friends, family, and professionals come together to express concern, it creates a powerful, unified message that is hard for the addicted person to ignore or dismiss. It also makes it harder for the loved one to manipulate the situation.
What Should I Do Instead?
Rather than going solo to confront your loved one, consider consulting an addiction specialist or professional interventionist. You can also gather a support group of family and friends to get eductated about addiction and successful intervention techniques. From there you can prepare a structured plan with treatment options available.
You don’t have to navigate this challenging time alone, and trying to do so may unintentionally cause more harm than good. Seek professional guidance and enlist support. Those people want your loved one to get help, too, and that will increase your chances of your loved one accepting the help to start their recovery journey. For more information, reach out to the experts at Adolescent Intervention Solutions today.