Do interventions actually work?
The medical community is split on whether they actually work
The medical community is split on whether they actually work
The medical community is split on whether they actually work
- Popularized by the A&E reality TV show, interventions are a common first step for families to confront a loved one who is addicted to drugs or alcohol
- But data is unclear as to whether interventions actually work, and some health experts say they can do more harm than good
Sam Davis started using marijuana when he was 10 years old. By the time he was 36, he was addicted to cocaine.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I was pretty much [always] pickled,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Davis told MensHealth.com.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I was doing a lot of cocaine and had pretty much lost everything. I was deluded about the fact that I could do it on my own or stop. I had, to some degree, given up and thought that this was just what I was going to be."
Then, one day, Davis says he went to what he thought was going to be just a routine meeting with his parole officer (he was on probation at the time for possession of cocaine). 바카라 게임 웹사이트Somebody바카라 게임 웹사이트s here to see you,바카라 게임 웹사이트 the officer said. Davis' sister, mother, father, parole officer and a professional interventionist were present, ready to try a last-ditch effort to get him off drugs.
바카라 게임 웹사이트They had always bailed me out, were always trying to save me. They were really keeping me sick," Davis, said. "At that point, it was about removing my options to do anything else. The interventionist said, 바카라 게임 웹사이트You can go to jail, or you can go with me.바카라 게임 웹사이트 I had to think about it."
Ultimately, Davis chose to undergo treatment, and he is now nine years sober. Now a certified interventionist and founder of in Richmond, Virginia, he credits the intervention his parents staged with the 180 degree turn his life took.
But Davis' story is only one of many. According to the , 21.5 million American adults (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder in 2014. Almost 80 percent struggled with an alcohol use disorder. With our nation in the throes of an opioid epidemic, many families will turn to interventions to try to save their loved ones' lives, but interventions aren't always successful, and some health experts believe they have limited efficacy.
MensHealth.com spoke with mental health experts to learn more about interventions and how to go about helping someone you love whose life is falling apart due to a drinking, drugs or other addiction problems.
What바카라 게임 웹사이트s an intervention?
An intervention is a meeting staged by family and friends to convince a loved one struggling with addiction to get help. The concept of interventions rose to popularity 20 to 30 years ago, says , a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington and chair of the American Psychiatric Association바카라 게임 웹사이트s Council on Addiction Psychiatry.
The long-running A&E series "," which first aired in 2005, has also brought attention to this method of helping people with serious addictions turn their lives around. The show profiles people dependent on drugs, alcohol or compulsive behaviors and what happens when their families and friends give them an ultimatum to get better or lose everything.
The idea behind an intervention isn바카라 게임 웹사이트t to bully someone with a drug or alcohol problem into reforming, says Saxon. It바카라 게임 웹사이트s a methodically planned-out meeting that's usually arranged as a surprise due to the concern that if you tell the person in advance, they won바카라 게임 웹사이트t show up.
During the gathering, loved ones constructively tell the person, in a non-threatening way, that they want to help them, says , MSS, LSW, a licensed therapist from Philadelphia, who works mostly with male patients between the ages of 17 and 35.
바카라 게임 웹사이트You바카라 게임 웹사이트re coming from a place of love,바카라 게임 웹사이트 says Jackson, who counsels patients and their loved ones in his office setting after an intervention takes place.
What's it like to participate in an intervention?
When it comes to organizing an intervention, it바카라 게임 웹사이트s best to get professional help from an interventionist, said Saxon, who personally does not practice interventions. 바카라 게임 웹사이트It바카라 게임 웹사이트s good to have a neutral party,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he says. A professional can also help you pre-arrange treatment, so if the person agrees to get help, you have experts ready to get started.
As for the intervention itself, it바카라 게임 웹사이트s rigorously scripted, says Davis, who works with families all across the U.S. 바카라 게임 웹사이트When families try to go at it alone, I call it the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-driven-by-emotion-and-resentment model,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said, adding that there tends to be 바카라 게임 웹사이트too much dialogue.바카라 게임 웹사이트
A person addicted to drugs or alcohol "know[s] what buttons to push on the family, and the family knows what buttons to push on the addicted individual. The addict has to be in control, and without that opportunity for dialogue, the individual can realize, 바카라 게임 웹사이트My manipulation isn바카라 게임 웹사이트t going to work anymore,바카라 게임 웹사이트바카라 게임 웹사이트 Davis said.
The interventions Davis leads typically include four to eight family members and close friends (no children are allowed) who get together in the addict바카라 게임 웹사이트s home or another setting that works for everyone. They usually consist of three parts: the family members take turns saying how much they love the person and share one quality they admire about that person; they state in simple terms how the person바카라 게임 웹사이트s addiction has affected them; and they ask the substance user to accept the help being offered.
If the substance user rejects the ultimatum, Davis says, the family member then explains how their relationship will change 바카라 게임 웹사이트 for instance, their marriage will end, or they바카라 게임 웹사이트ll be asked to move out of the house.
바카라 게임 웹사이트It could be as severe as, 바카라 게임 웹사이트You바카라 게임 웹사이트re fired,' or 'I바카라 게임 웹사이트m going to leave you,바카라 게임 웹사이트바카라 게임 웹사이트 said Davis.
Finally, the family should have a place set up and ready to receive the substance user. 바카라 게임 웹사이트You don바카라 게임 웹사이트t want to have an intervention with caring friends and family members and when the person says 바카라 게임 웹사이트yes,바카라 게임 웹사이트 not know what to do. You don바카라 게임 웹사이트t want to be sitting around with them saying, 'Who do we call?'바카라 게임 웹사이트 said Saxon.
Do interventions work?
Davis says in his personal experience, the interventions he facilitates are a success about 95 percent of time (meaning the person is willing to enter a treatment program). Whether the person ultimately gets sober, however, is unclear, though he does try to stay in touch with many of the families.
There are varied professional opinions when it comes to how effective an intervention can be, both in the short-term and in the long run. One complicating factor is that addiction often goes hand-in-hand with other mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. About 50 percent of people addicted to drugs or alcohol will have other psychiatric disorders, said Saxon.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Interventions are certainly nothing ever studied with any rigor. You can바카라 게임 웹사이트t say, 'Yes, this is something that will work.' I think certainly, it바카라 게임 웹사이트s not something that most psychiatrists would do, although some may do it rarely,바카라 게임 웹사이트 says Saxon.
The primarily concern is that interventions can turn confrontational.
바카라 게임 웹사이트We don바카라 게임 웹사이트t think that바카라 게임 웹사이트s very useful. We think about the stages of change and trying to motivate people toward action,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he says.
Dr. Sarah Reagan, Ph.D., a clinical psychology in Florida, who specializes in alcohol addiction, says the goal of interventions shouldn't be for family members to pressure someone into getting sober.
바카라 게임 웹사이트If you바카라 게임 웹사이트re looking for long-term rehab or recovery, you want motivation to come from the inside of the person, for them to see what they바카라 게임 웹사이트ll get if they comply, not do it out of guilt or just to keep other folks from being mad,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she says.
How do you find an intervention expert?
One way to locate an intervention professional is to call an established residential or outpatient addiction center and ask for names and contact numbers of the interventionists they work with and would recommend. You can also reach out to a psychiatrist who is a member of the American Psychiatric Association through a local branch office, says Saxon, as interventionists often work with mental health professionals to become part of the substance user바카라 게임 웹사이트s long-term care team.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Unfortunately, people have to have a crisis before they recognize the problem," said Saxon. If you believe a loved one is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, and you are considering staging an intervention, "be very non-confrontational and non-accusatory, and try not to strong-arm the person into doing something. Do it in an empathic way. Express love, show support and how much you care and want to help. And hope for the best.바카라 게임 웹사이트
If you are struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, please seek professional help or contact , the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which has a hotline anyone can call 24/7 for help and advice at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).