When a friend or loved one starts having issues with drugs and alcohols relationships can become stressed and tensions can rise. It is never an easy task to initiate ‘the talk’ about how you feel; they may need to cut back on what they are doing or even seek helping depending on the circumstances. Nobody wants to see someone they know struggling with these issues and that is why it is crucial that you are educated on the best way to help them. Sometimes an intervention is the exact thing the individual needs to bring it to their attention that what they are doing is seriously harming them. For the individual involved it is very hard to take a step back and see what is going on from an outsider’s perspective, this is why having a family intervention can be the right thing to do and shouldn’t be delayed.

Some reasons a family intervention takes longer than it should

Many people would like to think drug or alcohol issues can be resolved on their own and they will eventually just fade into the background. However this is rarely the case and on most occasions the habits just become worse making it a much tougher problem to overcome when the time comes. Some families are embarrassed that a loved one has such troubles with drugs and alcohol and do not want to open up to others about the situation as they are worried they will be judged. Although I’ve never heard of embarrassment being a threat to anyone’s life, whereas drug and alcohol abuse are serious issues if left untreated. Another reason may be that a parent is also involved in substance abuse, which then makes the intervention much tougher when these issues run in the family. How can someone with the same problem encourage someone else in the family to stop? At that stage it is learnt behavior and can be incredibly tough when more than one member of the family is doing it. This makes it even more important as to why a family intervention is needed, having a few family members step forward and voice their concerns is much more powerful than just one or two. Knowing how to address the issue is vital in those scenarios. If you are in a similar situation and want to confront them but don’t feel comfortable doing it Family First Intervention may be able to provide you with the support you need. Family First Intervention is a drug and alcohol treatment center that works with the family to help identify what needs to change to help your loved one become accountable and willing to accept help. The professional interventionists can help you understand your loved one’s behaviors and how those behaviors are holding you emotionally hostage. The alcohol or drug abuser becomes a professional victim over time in order to continue with the addiction and avoid hitting bottom or wanting help, this need to be stopped before it’s too late.

Signs that your loved one is not trying to change

Many drug addicts and alcoholics use the phrases ‘I’m trying to change’ or ‘this is the last time’, even though these may not actually be their intentions at all. It is important to know when someone is trying to change and when they are bluffing so that you will leave them alone. There are many signs that the individual is still fully invested in their addiction and is not attempting to change. Firstly, if they continue to steal money or items from the house after they told you they were trying to stop, this is a clear indicator that they are not. The money will be used for drugs or alcohol and the cycle of addiction will continue and worsen. Another sign is that their sleeping or eating habits remain irregular. An addiction causes people to do all sort of strange things, wake up at weird times to use, forget about food at times due to their addiction etc. looking out for these continuous irregularities is important so that the individual doesn’t take it too far being an intervention occurs. Finally if you find them lying all the time about the drugs in their possession or their alcohol consumption it means they are not willing to change. If you think some of these signs are present you should take this intervention quiz  provided by Family First. Make sure you find out if it is time for an intervention, it can never be too early when it comes to drugs and alcohol, these substances can be fatal so make sure you intervene before it’s too late.