What is Family Intervention?

Family intervention improves the outcome of the person addicted to drugs or alcohol. It does this by creating effective family engagement to handle the challenges associated with the addiction. 

In addition, a family intervention improves the well-being of the family dynamic and helps them begin the healing process. 

The role of family intervention is to help in specific ways as every family dynamic is different. The information below explains in detail what family intervention is, what it can help with, and its successful outcomes. 

The Role of Family Intervention 

Substance use impacts every aspect of the family dynamic, and the devastation stretches far and wide. Family intervention becomes the only option to help the addict and their family. 

• The role of a substance use intervention is not only to address the addiction but everything involved. Generally, the best way to accomplish this is with a professional interventionist. 

An addict’s goal is to use their drug of choice. Unfortunately, family members become counterproductive, attempting to help the addict in their own ways. The result is everyone being negatively affected by the addiction, and no one receiving any help for anything. 

Professional family intervention seeks to bring everyone affected together to discuss and strategize the steps to help the addict. 

How Addiction Intervention Helps the Family Prepare

Newman Interventions helps prepare the family with adequate planning, education, self-awareness, and counseling to ensure their loved one receives the long-term help they need. In addition, this helps the family understand substance use disorder, enabling codependency issues and ensuring they are prepared for two possible outcomes with the intervention.

Addressing Core Issues

Substance Use Disorder: Drug addiction affects a person’s behavior and mind leading to an inability to control the use of drugs and alcohol. The risk of addiction and how fast someone becomes addicted depends on the type of drug and underlying issues. Every person addicted to drugs or alcohol began using for a different reason. 

A family interventionist spends time helping the family understand addiction and how it has impacted the addict. Gaining a better understanding of the problem strengthens the resolve of those involved to help their loved ones. 

Enabling: Enabling is a behavioral trait that generally involves a family member or friend protecting the addict from experiencing the full impact and consequences of their substance use. 

Rather than allowing the addict to face the natural consequences of their choices from their addiction, their loved one is shielding them and enabling their process of using drugs. Someone who is enabling an addict would de-rail an intervention. 

A professional family interventionist spends much time with the family addressing enabling through education and counseling. 

Codependency: Generally, this is an excessive emotion or psychological reliance on an individual, whether a partner or family member. The individual requires support on account of their substance use disorder. 

Codependency frequently occurs between addicts and their spouses, partner, or parent. It is an unhealthy situation because it is a give-and-take relationship. It is challenging to help the addict with intervention unless the codependency issues are addressed. 

Preparing for the Yes or No Answer: There are two possible outcomes with family intervention, either the addict says yes to drug rehab, or they say no. Every situation is different with every family dynamic. 

When an addict says yes, the family is thrilled. Still, their attitudes may quickly change as they do not believe they would commit or stay in treatment. At this point, old family arguments often come out, and the intervention goes sideways. 

When an addict says no, the family may just give up because they are exhausted. Yet, this is the normal cycle that the addict expects. 

A professional family interventionist keeps the family on track to see the job through to the end, which is the completion of a drug or alcohol rehab program. 

Successful Family Interventions

A successful family intervention means the addict agrees to attend substance use treatment, and they remain in and complete the program. In addition, the family decides to work on their issues, whether through individual or family counseling. 

However, a successful intervention could also mean the family is regaining control and setting clear boundaries. Suppose the addict says no to drug rehab. The family is sticking with the consequences and not backing down. A few weeks or months later, the addict agrees to accept help.