Drug Intervention Strategies
If you have a friend or family member with an addiction, seeing them constantly under the influence of drugs or alcohol can be painful to watch. The idea of giving them an intervention may seem difficult, but it is a great way to help them realize that they have a problem, or to help them to see the harm that their habit is causing. It will always be a difficult process, but there are some useful strategies you can employ.
Family and Friends
Ensure that many of the person's loved ones are present at the intervention. It can be difficult to get everyone together, but the idea is that the person sees how his or her addiction affects friends and family. Always be supportive, but don't hesitate to be honest. The idea behind an intervention is to get the person to admit that he or she has a problem for which they should seek help. You can't make the addict stop taking the substance in question, only he or she can decide to stop. Having a group of loved ones there shows that they have support, and that they can get clean with the help of people who care for them.
Professional Help
If you can get a certified counselor to be present at the intervention, it is always a big help. They will help make the process as painless as possible. Telling someone they have a problem isn't easy, and having a professional to guide the intervention can ensure that it is a positive experience. Also, forward planning is important, and counselors will be able to help with things to say and things not to say. Speak to everyone concerned and find out what they want to say, so you can discuss the best approach and who should say what. If people don't want to say anything, their presence still shows support. Remember to make the intervention conversational, and encourage the person to open up about their addiction.
Denial
The Johnson Model of Intervention was developed by Vernon Johnson and is the basis for all common intervention techniques. Johnson identified denial as a major issue and put forward the idea that you have to break through denial in order to help the person realize they have a problem. This can be accomplished through emotionally charged and dramatic statements, and is often confrontational. The entire point of an intervention is to remove denial of the problem, and the Johnson Model is geared toward accomplishing just that.
Think About the Individual
In 1991, William Miller and Stephen Rollnick released a book about "motivational interviewing." This is a departure from the Johnson Model, as it attributes the addict's denial to the confrontational strategies employed by the interventionist. The idea behind motivational interviewing is that people with addictions should be looked at as individuals, and assessed to determine whether the person is ready to change. This is a softer method than the Johnson Model, and although they are different in many ways, they both have the potential to be affective. You just have to think about your loved one to determine which is the best method for them. This is the general principle of motivational interviewing, and it focuses more on encouraging change than destroying denial. If the confrontation of the Johnson Model doesn't suit you, or may provoke a negative reaction in your loved one, use motivational interviewing, talk to them about their problem and work with them as individuals to get better.
Family and Friends
Ensure that many of the person's loved ones are present at the intervention. It can be difficult to get everyone together, but the idea is that the person sees how his or her addiction affects friends and family. Always be supportive, but don't hesitate to be honest. The idea behind an intervention is to get the person to admit that he or she has a problem for which they should seek help. You can't make the addict stop taking the substance in question, only he or she can decide to stop. Having a group of loved ones there shows that they have support, and that they can get clean with the help of people who care for them.
Professional Help
If you can get a certified counselor to be present at the intervention, it is always a big help. They will help make the process as painless as possible. Telling someone they have a problem isn't easy, and having a professional to guide the intervention can ensure that it is a positive experience. Also, forward planning is important, and counselors will be able to help with things to say and things not to say. Speak to everyone concerned and find out what they want to say, so you can discuss the best approach and who should say what. If people don't want to say anything, their presence still shows support. Remember to make the intervention conversational, and encourage the person to open up about their addiction.
Denial
The Johnson Model of Intervention was developed by Vernon Johnson and is the basis for all common intervention techniques. Johnson identified denial as a major issue and put forward the idea that you have to break through denial in order to help the person realize they have a problem. This can be accomplished through emotionally charged and dramatic statements, and is often confrontational. The entire point of an intervention is to remove denial of the problem, and the Johnson Model is geared toward accomplishing just that.
Think About the Individual
In 1991, William Miller and Stephen Rollnick released a book about "motivational interviewing." This is a departure from the Johnson Model, as it attributes the addict's denial to the confrontational strategies employed by the interventionist. The idea behind motivational interviewing is that people with addictions should be looked at as individuals, and assessed to determine whether the person is ready to change. This is a softer method than the Johnson Model, and although they are different in many ways, they both have the potential to be affective. You just have to think about your loved one to determine which is the best method for them. This is the general principle of motivational interviewing, and it focuses more on encouraging change than destroying denial. If the confrontation of the Johnson Model doesn't suit you, or may provoke a negative reaction in your loved one, use motivational interviewing, talk to them about their problem and work with them as individuals to get better.
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