Drug Intervention in Pasadena, TX

It's painful and frightening to helplessly watch a loved one sink further and further into addiction. Whether your loved one is in denial about the problem or simply refuses to get help, a drug intervention in Pasadena could help you convince him or her to seek treatment.

An intervention is a planned meeting between a group of concerned friends and family members and an addicted loved one. Typically, the loved one is called to the meeting on a pretense, unaware that it's an intervention. Each member of the intervention team addresses the loved one personally and explains how the addiction has affected their own life. The meeting ends with an offer for the loved one to enter treatment.

What is Addiction?

Maybe you think an intervention might be a good idea, but you're not positive your loved one is addicted and needs treatment. Understanding addiction is crucial for knowing whether your loved one needs help and for offering the highest level of support.

Addiction is a chronic brain disease that's marked by changes in brain function that affect thought and behavior patterns. It's characterized by the inability to stop using drugs or alcohol even though they're causing problems, from relationship and health issues to legal and financial troubles. Even if you want to quit or have tried to, you're likely to find that you can't--at least, not for good. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration points out that once substance abuse transitions to addiction, professional help is almost always needed to help end the cycle of relapse and remission for the long-term.

Addiction changes the physical structures of the brain and the way it operates chemically, and this has an impact on how an addicted individual thinks and behaves. This is why many addicted people are either in denial or can't seem to stop using no matter what they try. In some cases, someone with an addiction may be aware that there's a problem but just doesn't seem to care. A drug addiction intervention is designed to help bring someone out of denial, admit there's a problem, and agree to get help. It's also effective for getting the reluctant or ambivalent loved one to agree to treatment programs in Pasadena.

How a Drug Intervention in Pasadena Works

Drug interventions can take a number of forms, depending on the model used. However, the general idea is basically the same, and an intervention is always a carefully planned, multi-step process.

Step One: Education

Research shows that people who don't understand addiction and how it's treated are unequipped to successfully support an addicted loved one through treatment and recovery. It's essential to understand how addiction develops, how it affects brain function, how it drives dysfunctional thought and behavior patterns, and what it takes to successfully treat it. Otherwise, you can't effectively help your loved one. The first step in an intervention is to learn everything you can about addiction so that you're armed with facts, information, and a deep understanding of how it has hijacked your loved one's brain.

Step Two: Choosing the Intervention Team

The intervention team is the group of people who will be in the meeting and directly address the addicted loved one. The team consists of around six people whom your loved one is close to, likes, and respects. Avoid including anyone your loved one doesn't like or who might inadvertently sabotage the meeting by getting confrontational or angry.

Step Three: Deciding What to Say

During the drug addiction intervention, you will directly address your loved one and explain how the addiction has personally affected you, offering specific examples. You'll express fear and concern, and ask your loved one to get help. It's important to take a positive, loving approach and end with a message of hope.

Step Four: Choosing Consequences

If your loved one refuses treatment, there must be consequences. The addiction can't be allowed to continue to affect you and other friends and family members in negative ways. You'll decide ahead of time on the consequences should your loved one decline treatment. It's important to choose consequences that are relevant and which you'll be able to follow through on. These may include asking him to move out of the house, no longer giving them money, or refusing to bail them out of jail.

Step Five: Organizing Treatment

The drug addiction intervention ends with an offer for your loved one to get help right then and there, and so you'll need to line up treatment. You'll research potential programs and start the admissions process so that they're ready to take your loved one to our inpatient rehab in Pasadena.

Step Six: Holding the Intervention

The last step is to have the meeting. The leader of the intervention team will explain the purpose of the meeting, and each person on the team will talk to the loved one. The meeting ends with an offer to get treatment.

A Professional Drug Intervention in Pasadena is Best

According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, a drug intervention for addiction that's organized and facilitated by a professional interventionist has a 90 percent success rate. A professional will help you plan every aspect of the intervention, coach the team to help ensure success, and facilitate the meeting to keep it positive and productive.

It's important to note that an intervention isn't always the best approach to helping your loved one seek treatment. It's a good idea to talk to a professional interventionist, drug counselor, or other mental health professional to decide whether an intervention is a good option for you. Call us now at (877) 804-1531 to learn more about how to stage a drug intervention in Pasadena.