recovery begins today
intervention services
What is an intervention?
An "intervention" is a structured process to help a loved one begin their journey towards recovery from addiction, whether that be a drug addiction, gambling addiction or even sex addiction.
Many people who suffer from addiction believe they are suffering alone or that no one can help them. Tense moments between friends and family members, who are equally frustrated with the addiction, can often not know where to turn or what to do to help - compounding the problem and making their loved one feel like no one "understands" them or can help them recover.
You'd never expect your friend or family member to battle a deadly medical disease alone. If they had a deadly - but curable, disease, you wouldn't let them face it alone, going without help. You wouldn't suggest them going without seeing a Doctor.
Addiction is a disease. Interventions, led by certified and trained professionals, are the first step in "curing" your loved one from that disease.
We take the burden of "how" to help away by guiding the process, motivating the affected person to enter treatment and educating and encouraging the person suffering from addiction, yourself, the family and friends to be empowered to help and sustain an ongoing recovery.
invitational vs. surprise interventions
When you think of an "intervention," you're probably thinking of an intervention where a group of people are waiting in a room, and the person suffering addiction walks in, surprised and astonished and everyone begins talking about the addiction. You know, the type that you've seen countless times in the movies or on TV.
This type of intervention is called a "surprise" intervention.
While in some cases, surprise interventions are suitable for your loved one (and we will consult with you when that is the case), we don't prefer them at Living Recovery Interventions.
Surprise Interventions tend to be both confrontational and direct. They hinge on the idea that the person who is addicted is in denial of how their addiction is negatively affecting themselves or those around them, and the confrontation serves to help them realize otherwise.
Your loved one is then required to hit "rock bottom" through the intervention and loved ones will often have to issue consequences for not seeking treatment (for example, loss of contact with friends and family, or lack of financial support).
While this method seems harsh - when guided by a professional - it is designed to be compassionate and supportive.
However, because it relies on friends and family members following through on the consequences of not taking action (which can be equally as hard on friends and family), the results are not always long lasting. In fact, the American Psychological Association reports that only about 70% are successful because friends and family find it difficult to follow through with the consequences they issued.
The Surprise Intervention model, while widely considered to be successful at getting people into treatment, is not easy to accomplish and doesn't always work for every family and does not address the overall health of the family as a whole.
For those reasons, we typically will not recommend a Surprise Intervention unless no other options remain open (which we will assess during our consultation). In the majority of cases, we prefer the Invitational Intervention method - continue reading below to learn more about Invitational Interventions.
A better path to recovery: Invitational interventions
Invitational Interventions are a more holistic approach to aiding your loved one in recovery. Rather than "surprise" them with an intervention, they are "invited" into the process as part of a whole "family" unit. Addiction isn't just about the person who has the addiction - it's about the whole support network.
Families may intentionally or unknowingly enable an addict and by approaching the disease from a family first approach, we can enable more long lasting results through educating and addressing the addiction in relation to the entire family and not just the individual suffering from addiction.
The way it works
Families contact Living Recovery Interventions, who will lead the group through workshops, classes and even therapy sessions as a group - where the person suffering addiction is invited as well. There aren't any "secret" meetings or planning methods and the addict is invited to be involved from the very beginning.
Even if they refuse to attend meetings, your family will continue with the intervention model without them - which aids in the whole family being able to reduce substance abuse by changing the environment around the addicted person. The family learns how to talk about addictions and their effects on the family and the goal is that after completion of the intervention, the addicted person will choose to enter treatment on their own accord - leading to a higher success rate in permanently overcoming the addiction.
While this method may take longer for someone to get into treatment, the retention rates and the long term success rates are generally higher than in Surprise Interventions.
In fact, the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment cited that 71% of adolescent substances abusers who were considered "highly resistant" to treatment, successfully entered into a substance abuse treatment program after parents completed 12 CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) sessions.
Steps
- Always let the person suffering from addiction know how much they mean to the family and that they're worth saving.
- Motivate them to enter treatment and participate willingly in their recovery journey.
- Education for the family about the disease of addiction and how the recovery process will go.
- Encouragement for the family to participate in their own recoveries as well as supporting the addict.
- Aid the addicted person in transitioning back to family and work environments while sustaining ongoing recovery.
why hire a licensed interventionist
The #1 barrier to recovery for someone suffering from addiction is fear. Especially prevalent is fear from the family to take action. It takes on average 7 years before help is sought for loved ones dealing with an addiction problem.
Addiction is very serious. They are also complicated and require training and experience to navigate successfully. A professional helps break through the denial and help present treatment in a different light. We believe in doing things together - no one should ever have to go down the path of recovery alone.
We've been there before. Walked in the shoes of your loved ones and gone through our own recoveries. That's why we're so passionate about helping you help your loved one when they need it most. Your support will mean the world to them.
Living Recovery Intervention's General Process
- A complete phone assessment with you in order to determine the best process specific to your situation to begin the recovery journey.
- If your needs require the expertise of a different professional, we will refer you to the best place completely free of charge.
- We will meet with you and your family to perform the intervention process.
- The interventions will begin. We'll hold family workshops in order to address family concerns and present treatment as a gift.
- Holistic healing for all involved begins and the path to recovery starts together.
- Recommend and introduce the family and the addicted person to the proper treatment providers.
- Collaboration will happen with your treatment provider during discharge in order to ease the transition back into life.