Category: Understanding Addiction

They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step towards recovery. But getting to that stage can be a challenge all on its own. In many instances, those who are addicted are the last to realize that their substance abuse has gone from a recreational vice to destructive. Interventions are an attempt to confront those individuals about their detrimental behavior. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. The key to increasing the likelihood of your loved one’s success is knowing how to stage an intervention. 

 

Preparing For The Intervention

Interventions are typically arranged by friends or family members but can be done by anyone who has a relationship with the addicted person. These people will serve as the core group of organizers, the intervention team, and should arrange everything from who else is involved to getting the addicted person at the chosen date and time. It is highly recommended to get help from a professional interventionist, who can help ensure that both the planning and the execution of the intervention go smoothly.

 

Choosing The Type of Intervention

Perhaps the most important aspect of an intervention is deciding what kind of intervention it will be. Most tend to think of the kinds involving a gathering of people who are surprising the addicted person in confrontation. While this is a viable and popular option, it isn’t the only one. 

The intervention approach that’s used will determine who is involved, how the topic is broached, and how the recipient of the intervention will be included in the proceedings.

Classic Intervention: A group of people, can be small or large in size, surprise the addicted person with a surprise confrontation. 

Simple Intervention: A single person directly addresses the addiction person in a one-on-one approach.

Family System Intervention: When other family members who struggle with the same addiction appeal to the individual to get help and are also heavily involved in the treatment process. 

Crisis Intervention: Often impromptu; these occur when the addicted person has become a danger to themselves and concerned loved ones need to stabilize the situation.

 

Deciding on the Time & Place of the Intervention

This seemingly straightforward aspect of planning an intervention also requires thoughtfulness and care. In addition to finding a time that works for all parties involved, it’s important to choose a time and place that will be the least stressful for the addicted person. This means being mindful of their schedule and what they might have going on. Do they have a stressful job? Don’t confront them immediately after coming home from work. Perhaps they’ve recently undergone a breakup or were involved in a car accident. Also, don’t have an intervention at a time they’re likely to be intoxicated. If they are at the time of the confrontation, it’s in everyone’s best interest to wait until they’ve sobered up.

Rehearse

No matter what kind of intervention, addressing someone’s drug use can be a touchy subject. Emotions will run high and things can quickly spiral out of control. Conduct a run-through of the intervention so that everyone will know when to speak, what they will say, and be in agreement on the expectations of what they want from the addicted person. 

 

During The Intervention

When it comes time to follow through with the intervention, the best way to maximize the odds of a successful outcome is to come prepared. Participants should have rehearsed what they will say and what they want from the addicted person. These conversations should detail how addiction has hurt their relationship with specific examples.

Avoid Accusations

Focus on how addiction has negatively affected your relationship or their lives. Accusations will only make someone defensive and closed off to you. Avoid labels like “addict” or “junkie” which can further alienate the person you are trying to help.

Stick To The Script

Convincing the addicted person that their drug use has become detrimental to themselves and others will likely involve recounting details of previous issues and encounters. There is plenty of opportunity for emotions to arise from either party; the speaker, with frustration; the addicted person, with denial or outrage. For this reason, it’s recommended that those who will be speaking have their statements written down.

Propose Solutions

Confronting the person and convincing them that their addiction is out of hand is only part of an intervention’s purpose. The ultimate goal is to convince them to seek treatment and get help. As such, it’s crucial to do research about medical detox, rehab programs, or 12 step programs. Be clear in your expectations and include practical information on how you’ll be able to support them to make it happen. The more details you provide, the less room there will be for protest. Look into all the details from payment to logistics to what they could expect. 

 

Set Consequences (and Stick To Them)

If you truly want to convince the addicted person that you are committed to their recovery, you can’t go back on your word. Whether you threaten to stop supporting them financially, cutting them off, or some other means that you may have been enabling them, everyone present must commit to the consequences the addicted person will face if they refuse help. 

 

What If An Intervention Doesn’t Work?

Drug addiction literally rewires the brain and can turn your loved one into an irrational, impulsive person. It’s a very real possibility that an intervention may not be enough to get to them and that it may take several attempts. 

While the goal is to get them into a treatment center, peer-based social groups like Alcoholics Anonymous offer a lower-stakes option that the addicted person may feel less resistance towards. There, individuals won’t be required to be abstinent–the only requirement is a desire to stop drinking. Hear the testimonies and triumphs of others who were in similar situations can be a powerful motivating factor, which itself is a major determinant of addiction recovery success. 

Offering to attend meetings with them is an easy way to keep them accountable and offer support. To get started, find AA meetings or NA meetings near you. 

Recovery is a time for healing, introspection, learning, and growing. While the first few days of recovery are often focused on detoxification, rest, and allowing the body to heal, the subsequent days are about establishing a new healthier routine and learning new skills for relapse prevention. Some recommended activities that promote the goals listed above include meditation, exercise, and reading for recovery. To provide some direction on where to start when it comes to recovery-related books and readings, here is a list to consider and what each text has to offer.

Alcoholics Anonymous – The Big Book

Alcoholics Anonymous and its 12 steps to recovery are outlined in the text more commonly referred to as The Big Book. The book is an incredible resource for individuals in recovery whether they are working the 12 steps or not. One of the best aspects of this book is that it actually includes true recovery stories from AA members. These stories are updated when new editions of the book are released so that the stories are relatable to people today. People in recovery may find these stories helpful because of the fact that the stories are relatable, demonstrate that they are not alone, and provide insight as to what the recovery process can look like.

12 and 12

If you are working on the 12 steps, this book is a tremendously helpful resource. This book goes into detail with full chapters dedicated to each of the 12 steps and 12 traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The brief 1-2 sentences that identify each step can feel vague and confusing to many individuals. This book breaks down what each step means and how to apply the step to the recovery journey. It also goes into the traditions, a lesser-known, but equally important aspect of the program.

As Bill Sees It

Bill was one of the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous and he was a man full of many insights and much wisdom. He also was a man who wrote a lot when it comes to the topic of recovery. In his lifetime, Bill put pen to paper and documented these insights and wisdom. The writings were compiled into a book titled As Bill Sees It, “a daily source of comfort and inspiration.”

Daily Reflections

Containing 365 quotes from AA literature, Daily Reflections is a book that offers exactly what is in its title – a written reflection for each day of the year. Each quote is accompanied by personal reflection from an actual member of Alcoholics Anonymous. A common approach for recovery is taking it one day at a time. This book provides a quick and direct source for recovering addicts to take a moment each day and re-center their focus to recovery. Use it to get through the first year of recovery and pass it on to a new member, or keep it and read through the reflections year after year. There is no wrong option here.

Buying Reading Materials for Recovery

You can easily buy The Big Book or any other AA books and reading materials from the Alcoholics Anonymous website, or you can reach out to your local AA chapter. Oftentimes, AA chapters have used books available for those who do not have the means to purchase a copy.

Addiction is a destructive disease that can lead to once-unthinkable consequences. And the addiction doesn’t have to be to heroin, alcohol, cocaine, or any chemical substance for that matter. It is possible and more common than one may think, to be addicted to a particular behavior. Substance addiction and behavioral addiction are different, but there are also a number of similarities between those who struggle with either form of addiction. 

Defining Addiction

When searching for a definition of addiction, most sources focus on chemical dependency and substance addiction. Even on the American Psychiatry Association (APA) website, addiction is defined as “a complex condition, a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence”. Note the use of the term “substance use”. However, we discussed above that behavioral addictions are not that different from substance addiction. Unfortunately, the APA definition reads the way it does because the only behavioral addiction listed in the DSM-V is gambling due to insufficient evidence to support other behavioral addictions. The DSM-V is the most widely used publication guiding the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders.

Stanley Peele is a psychologist, psychotherapist, and co-author of the book Love and Addiction. In this publication, Peele describes addiction as when addicted individuals are dependent on a particular set of experiences and goes on to explain that the reaction to chemical substances is just one example of this dependence. This somewhat broader understanding of addiction seems more accurate when considering the reality of behavioral addictions.

Substance Addiction

The APA definition of addiction being a compulsion to use substances despite harmful consequences is quite accurate when referring to chemical substance addiction. Dependency is when the substance needs to be consumed in order for the individual to simply feel normal. An individual with chemical dependency likely will experience withdrawal symptoms if they discontinue drug use. Physical dependence is one criterion for diagnosing a substance use disorder, but the two usually go hand in hand. Treating drug and alcohol addiction requires addressing the physical effects, as well as the behavioral issues that may be associated with use.

Behavioral Addiction

Behavioral addiction is a psychological dependence on a particular set of experiences that are not a reaction to chemical substances, rather behaviors. Unlike a drug or alcohol addiction, someone with a behavioral addiction is not experiencing a physical addiction to anything. This lack of physical addiction means many signs that make it easy to identify the addiction may not be present.

Examples of behavioral addictions include:

• Gambling addiction
• Eating disorders
• Sex Addiction
• Gaming Addiction
• Shopping Addiction
• Pornography Addiction
• Exercise Addiction

How are substance and behavioral addictions alike?

The multitude of similarities between substance addiction and behavioral addictions may be surprising to many. Most addictive drugs act on the pleasure and reward centers of the brain. Similarly, when behaviors such as gambling or sex are engaged, it triggers the release of pleasure hormones and initiates a reward signal. Additionally, addiction to behaviors can have consequences on the same areas of one’s life as drug addiction. The addict may display functional impairments in there work, relationships, and in various social situations. In both cases, the addict is also likely to continue on with their behavior despite negative consequences that arise.

Behavioral Therapy & Addiction

Although most behavioral addictions are not covered in the DSM-V, behavioral therapy is recognized as one of the most effective forms of treatment for addiction. The goal of behavioral therapy is to identify unhealthy behaviors and change them to produce better outcomes. Behavioral therapy is a promising treatment option for individuals struggling with any form of addiction, but treatment plans should be personalized to meet each individual’s needs.

Sources:

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/addiction/what-is-addiction

https://www.mentalhelp.net/addiction/vs-behavioral-addictions/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3354400/