Intervention Services Canada
Are Interventions Successful?
Of the multitude of Interventions we have done, over 95% have resulted in the troubled individual entering treatment.
Don't be fooled by the advice of allowing a loved one to "hit bottom." Sometimes when we let a loved one hit bottom, that bottom is a jail, an institution, or, unfortunately, sometimes death. We can artificially create a bottom, which is simply a moment of temporary clarity, by means of an Intervention. An Intervention creates a 'bottom' for your loved so they don't have to drop to the bottom on their own.
We will work with you to ensure a compassionate, caring and non-judgmental Intervention.
Every addicted person has a threshold at which he or she becomes convinced, even momentarily, that the cost of their substance use outweighs its benefits. But here’s the problem – because of the psychological blinders or defense mechanisms (denial, rationalization, etc) as well as the disruption in clear thinking that drugs and alcohol cause, the addict is unable to accurately evaluate the costs of the continued addictive behaviour.
Instead, deluded by their euphoric recall, they continue to seek the comfort, reward, pleasure and relief from the drug or activity.
Sometimes out of misplaced compassion we protect the addict from the consequences of their behaviours. When we do that again and again we call that 'enabling.'
Consequences
The impact of an intervention is its ability to present and create the "crisis" in the addicted person's life to a point where the person sees treatment as the only option. If the person chooses not to engage, then some significant consequences go into effect. In general the participants withdraw their support until the person seeks help.
This is not punishment but an attempt to protect one from the abusive behavior that an addicted person engages in on a regular basis. The family cannot control the drug or alcohol use, however they can control their own response to its use.
Intervention Principles
- The person has a disease that is causing significant damage in his or her life.
- Denial is part of the disease process that prevents the person from fully appreciating the damage.
- The person is unlikely to seek help on his or her own.
- The people that surround the person can change the environment by destroying the enabling system and making it more likely that they will seek help.
- One of the most important factors in influencing the person to seek help is the sense of love and concern conveyed by those involved in the intervention.
- Anger and punitive measures have no place in an intervention, and will only serve to increase the person's defenses and make it less likely that they will receive help.
- Consequences for not going to treatment should not be designed to punish the addict. They should be designed to protect the health and well being of all involved in the intervention.
- Individuals that require an intervention are in a great deal of denial and usually need an initial period of intensive treatment such as a residential treatment program or an intensive daily outpatient program.
- It is useful to intervene even if the person does not go to treatment. Many secondary goals can be accomplished including planting a seed for future opportunities and allowing the loved ones to detach from the behavior of the addict having made a good effort at engaging them with appropriate help.
- An Intervention is not a "confrontation." It is a well-organized expression of genuine concern for a person who is sick with a chronic condition.
Intervention and the Family
The family and/or friends gather together to help the addicted person. The process is designed to convey the love and concern they have and not to display any anger or resentment that may exist. Each person takes an opportunity to state his/her concern backed up by actual events that cause concern and a desire for the individual to seek treatment immediately.
Consequences
The impact of an intervention is its ability to present and create the "crisis" in the addicted person's life
to a point where the person sees treatment as the only option. If the person chooses not to engage, then some significant consequences go into effect. In general the participants withdraw their support until the person seeks help. This is not punishment but an attempt to protect one from the abusive behavior that an addicted person engages in on a regular basis. The family cannot control the drug or alcohol use, however they can control their own response to its use.
Goals
The primary goal of any intervention is to motivate the person to seek immediate treatment. There are many reasons for attempting the intervention even if the person doesn't engage in treatment.
- The enabling system is destroyed and the addict will find it difficult continuing without their chief enablers.
- Family/friends receive drug/alcohol education so that they can better deal with addiction in the future.
- Participants are exposed to locally available resources.
- The conspiracy of silence is broken. Secrets are exposed.
- The family is exposed to various support groups (for example, A.A. and Al-Anon). They learn about addiction and the recovery process.
Limitations
This is difficult process knowing the underlying anger and resentment that may exist with those who are substance affected. The process can be hampered if:
- The family/friends no longer care what happens to the person.
- They are too angry and punitive.
- They fear the anger of the addict/alcoholic.
- They are in their own denial in regards to the problem.
- The family/friends are too fearful to risk changing the family system that is well entrenched.
Addiction and alcohol abuse in Vancouver, drug abuse in Vancouver, BC, alcohol addiction in Vancouver, BC - all of these statements are part of the fabric regarding discussions of substance abuse in Vancouver, British Columbia and the rest of Canada. Intervention Services Canada is a premier substance abuse service provider in Vancouver, BC, helping to turn those statements into solutions such as: find recovery and treatment for substance abuse in British Columbia, addiction counselling for substance abuse in Vancouver, Treatment for substance abuse in Vancouver, and rehab and recovery in Vancouver, BC.
At Intervention Services Canada we understand that Alcoholism and Drug Addiction are chronic, progressive diseases. Left unchecked, substance abuse and addiction have proven to be costly and even deadly. Intervention Services Canada offers a number of need specific substance abuse services, which help the client disconnect form destructive substance abuse, moving them towards productive societal integration.
Whether you live in Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Mission, Delta, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, or White Rock, Intervention Services Canada is there for you.
And, if you reside in Edmonton or Calgary, Alberta, we offer our services to you as well.