Your Loved One Doesn’t Need a Formal Intervention

By Steps To Recovery, for Addiction Treatment call 1-855-423-2003

No two addicts are the same. Although most people who struggle with addiction have certain traits that are common, everyone’s situation is unique. That’s why standard interventions are specifically tailored to the person in need, but there are certain scenarios that require a more intense approach to getting a patient in to addiction treatment, called Extreme Intervention.

Most Interventionists don’t want you to know that a majority of the time, your loved one won’t need a formal intervention. A successful intervention requires the proper use of whatever leverage is available, with the goal of cutting the “lifelines” that allow the addict to continue to use. The majority of families and loved ones we work with possess what it takes to set boundaries and offer the addict an ultimatum.

Let’s say a 21 year old male is using opiate pain medication daily. He lives with his parents and is unemployed, and has also stolen money and valuables for support his habit.

You could be successful in getting this young man in to addiction treatment by coaching his parents on how to set boundaries, and teaching them to present an ultimatum in a non-confrontational manner. If that doesn’t work, you could schedule a pre-intervention and go through the standard intervention process.

At this point the addict decides to rebel and is too far gone, hiding out in the worst neighborhood in town and only showing up at his parent’s house to steal and destroy anything and everything he could from his loved ones.

Addiction Treatment via Extreme Intervention

An Extreme Intervention takes place when an addict is missing, caught up in a criminal element, or if a previous attempt at a formal intervention was unsuccessful. Certain circumstances require law enforcement involvement, however with the goal of getting the addict the necessary addiction treatment, and not incarceration.

Addicts in active addiction have impaired judgement, and make impulsive, irrational decisions. All resources that the addict needs to continue to feed their addiction must be cut off. They must have NOTHING left and Extreme Intervention can be the tool to acheive this outcome. The concept behind Extreme Intervention is that nothing is off limits to facilitate cutting the ties between the addict and their drug.

The goal is to make the option of going to addiction treatment much more appealing than what the consequences will be for making the decision not to go. No one has the power to take the choice away from the addict, however we can do everything and anything in our power to influence what decision is made.