If your loved one has a serious alcohol problem and is in a state of strong denial, an alcohol intervention may be the only way to get him or her started in an alcohol treatment program.
An alcohol intervention is a pre-arranged gathering, without the prior knowledge of your loved one who needs help. An alcohol intervention 'group' includes those who are no longer willing to stand by and let the problem continue. In lovingly confronting a loved one, denial may be broken and the decision to finally seek effective help at a treatment center like Renaissance Malibu can be agreed upon. Sometimes, if the denial is very strong, the alcohol intervention group has the loved one's bags already packed and tells them they are physically taking the individual to the alcohol treatment center.
To speak with a Renaissance Malibu counselor 24-hours a day about alcohol interventions, please phone: 1-888-619-8500
Renaissance Malibu - From Intervention to Recovery
The results of alcohol interventions vary. At the very least, your alcoholic loved one's covers have now been pulled. As the focus of an alcohol intervention, he or she now knows that no one is fooled, that family and friends are well aware of the problem. Over the course of the alcohol intervention, it should be made clear that you love him or her regardless, but they must get help. Some people who have undergone an alcohol intervention are relieved. Some are grateful and embrace hope. Some are outwardly angry and defiant. Some are compliant but defiant. Regardless of the individual's mental attitude as the result of an alcohol intervention, the important thing for him or her to know is that there is help available, that recovery is possible, and that they never have to feel this way again.
Following an alcohol intervention, each new arrival to Renaissance Malibu meets with a personal physician, who takes a medical history and performs a physical examination. When necessary, a detoxification protocol is begun and carried out under medical supervision. As these are often the first hours after alcohol intervention, as well as the body's first time in many years without alcohol, every effort is made to make this phase of treatment as comfortable as possible.
As Malibu Renaissance's caring counselors and professional staff then begin to assess and address the individual's frame of mind, most individuals move gradually - but ultimately - to a place of gratitude and the realization that alcohol intervention was the most loving, caring gesture his or her family could ever have made. As your loved one's mind and body rids itself of the detrimental effects of alcohol and the process of healing and recovery begins, the alcohol intervention you instigated or participated in will become a benchmark moment in your relationship, a gesture of ultimate love and hope for the future.
Alcohol Intervention Guidelines - The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism suggests the following:
- Time your alcohol intervention. The best time for alcohol interventions is shortly after an alcohol-related problem has occurred -- like a serious family argument, an embarrassing incident, or an accident. An alcohol intervention can only be effective when he or she is sober, both of you are fairly calm, and you have a chance to talk in private.
- Be specific during an alcohol intervention. Tell the family member that you are worried about his or her drinking. Use specific examples of the ways in which the drinking has caused problems over the years, both for the drinker and for you, including the most recent incident. Alcohol interventions are most effective if they are rigorously honest, non-judgmental, and conducted lovingly.
- State the ramifications. Explain to the drinker in the course of the alcohol intervention what you will do if he or she doesn't go an alcohol treatment facility --not to punish the drinker, but to protect yourself from his or her problems. Do not make any threats in the heat of an alcohol intervention that you are not prepared to carry out.
- Get information before your alcohol intervention. Gather information in advance of the alcohol intervention about both outpatient and resident treatment and recovery centers like Renaissance Malibu. After the alcohol intervention, if the person is willing to seek help, call immediately for information or an appointment. Renaissance Malibu counselors are available by phone 24-hours a day at 1-888-619-8500. Offer to accompany the family member.
- Call on a friend. If, after an initial alcohol intervention, the family member still refuses to get help, ask a friend to talk with him or her. Alcohol interventions may not work at first, and the alcohol intervention of more than one person, more than one time, is often necessary to coax an alcoholic to seek help.
- Speak with more than one voice in an alcohol intervention. With the help of a health care professional, join with other relatives and/or friends to participate in an alcohol intervention as a group. This approach should only be tried under the guidance of a health care professional that is knowledgeable and experienced in group alcohol interventions.
People do recover! For more information on alcohol interventions and Renaissance Malibu's drug and alcohol treatment programs, please contact us 24-hours a day at 1-888-619-8500 or click here.
|
|
