A POWERFUL ADDICTION
Drug addiction is an unforgiving disease that causes an individual’s life to spiral out of control. No one is immune to its destructive grasp; this includes high-ranking politicians, wealthy lawyers, executives and countless others who may find their stressful careers, or a wide range of other factors, at the epicenter of their drug addiction.
Family members and friends can be put into a precarious situation if their suspicions are confirmed that their loved one is abusing drugs or alcohol. In this case, an intervention is the most advisable strategy to successfully, yet carefully, confront an addict and address the group’s concerns while using discretion.
Confronting anyone about a substance abuse habit can be a daunting task. Depending upon the addicted individual’s career or personality, they may be used to being in charge and delegating, not receiving instruction or demands from others, especially about their substance abuse. Allow an interventionist to help you make the brave decision to intervene.
BENEFITS OF AN INTERVENTION
An intervention is a professionally directed process where an addicted individual meets with family members, loved ones, friends and concerned colleagues. People who are addicts many times are in denial about their situation. An intervention allows the individual struggling with addiction to better understand the negative impacts of their substance abuse. [1]
Interventions positively affect and influence an addict’s behaviors, knowledge, and attitude. They also create supportive environments where an individual feels safe to share, be vulnerable and provide helpful resources for his or her recovery. The main objective of an intervention is to present the addicted individual with an opportunity to accept help and enter into rehabilitation immediately to receive treatment and begin their journey to sobriety.
A study released by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) states that investing in intervention services is critical for the wellbeing of an addict: “Too often, individuals with substance use problems believe that only severe cases of addiction require treatment. Thus, many do not seek treatment until long after initiation, when their use has produced significant social, economic, health and/or legal consequences.” [2]
Addicted individuals can have a wide range of erratic emotions
Addicted individuals can have a wide range of erratic emotions, especially when under the influence. Substance abuse side-effects can vary from hallucinations and drowsiness to irritability and violence. Such states can be extremely dangerous for anyone in contact with an addict. This makes an intervention an ideal setting to constructively speak with an addict in the hopes of having them enter into treatment. Interventions are particularly necessary when your loved one:
- Has a history of serious mental illness, such as bipolar disease or schizophrenia
- Has a history of violence
- Has a history of suicidal tendencies
A range of signs can aid in confirming that your loved one may be abusing a substance. Some possible signs that someone in your life may be abusing a substance can include:
- Erratic Mood Swings
- Often and Unexplained Disappearances
- Disheveled Appearance
- Deteriorating Personal Hygiene
- Financial Issues
Although many times an individual can be secretive and keep their addiction under wraps for months or years, at one point their substance abuse will most definitely spill over into their everyday life causing chaos.
THE NEW FACE OF AN OLD DISEASE
Addiction has grown to epidemic proportions not only in the United States but across the globe. Over 40 million Americans age 12 and over meet the clinical criteria for addiction involving nicotine, alcohol or other drugs. [3] For decades, society correlated substance abuse and addiction with young minority men, living within inner cities. However, now the profile of a “typical” addict has changed and can be correlated with anyone. African Americans or whites, rich or poor, mothers or fathers, brothers or sisters are all the “new” faces of addiction.
Addiction is a long-term chronic disease of the brain. Addiction generates physical and psychological dependencies within an individual. Addicts have the inability to sustain from taking an illicit substance although they understand the negative effects correlated with its use. [4] A wide range of stressors can trigger an addict to want to abuse a substance. Some of these can include:
- Financial Woes
- Physical or Sexual Abuse
- Anxiety
- Relationship Troubles
- Depression
- Career Stress
- Peer Pressure
- Physical Pain
- Emotional or Psychological Distress
Sadly, there has been an upward trend in recent years in the number of overdoses in the United States. Heroin now seems to be the nation’s drug of choice, has become an epidemic and seems to be gaining more momentum daily. Between 2001 and 2014, there was a six-fold increase in the total number of heroin deaths. [5]
Actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Google executive Forrest Hayes are just two examples of how affluent and successful individuals can succumb to the temptation of dangerous drugs, this does not exclude the possibility of your father, mother or a sibling. [6]
Certain individual’s lifestyles can be extremely stressful and be a trigger for addiction. If your loved one is abusing a substance, an intervention can be the most effective approach to discretely confront them to address your concerns and have them enter into rehabilitation.
INTERVENING
An intervention can be the first step in saving someone’s life.
Alcohol and drugs can invade every facet of an individual’s life both at home and at work. Addiction is a deadly disease. In order to achieve sobriety and rewire the brain’s thoughts and eliminate substance seeking compulsions, treatment is a necessity.
Seaside Palm Beach is an all-inclusive, state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility with a team of expert interventionists, who will tactfully organize and execute an intervention from initiation to conclusion.
Our experienced team of professionals will coordinate the logistics for the intervention. They will also aid in determining which friends and family members should attend while instructing participants on the events of the day and the best way to approach the addict. Lastly, one of our interventionists will coordinate immediate entry into our facility. An intervention can be the first step in saving someone’s life. For more information on Seaside Palm Beach or to set up an intervention please call, (888) 997-3274.
