Life in the public eye is not easy for many people: the pressure of fame, a demanding career, and the discomfort of being in the public eye can be incredibly waring. For a person who struggles with addiction, these pressures can be particularly stressful and...
If a person is engaged in a dangerous compulsive behavior like drug addiction, their friends and family will likely become extremely worried about them. There are few things as frustrating as watching someone you care about putting themselves and those around them in danger. When a person is addicted to drugs or alcohol, they are not in control of their actions. Their mind has become fixated on using and doing whatever they must do to find more drugs or alcohol. This often comes at the price of their jobs, their relationships, and their general well being. People around the addict may be very hurt by the things the addict says or does to them, and have no idea what they can do to help the situation.
It is important that anyone close to an addict realizes that they cannot make a loved one stop using drugs or alcohol. That is ultimately a decision that only the addict themselves can make. What friends and family of an addict can do, however, is make sure that their loved one knows how their addiction is affecting them and making them feel. This is what an intervention is for. If you are ready to stage an intervention, you should make sure that you do the planning and work necessary to make it as effective as possible. Here are the steps you should plan on taking:
If you have a loved one who is suffering from addiction, it is not at all uncommon to feel frustrated and confused about what to do. Addiction is a disease that completely takes over a person’s ability to live their life normally. Most addicts will behave in a way that is hurtful or upsetting to the people around them, and confronting an addict about their behavior can be difficult in a number of ways. Because drugs and alcohol affect a person’s emotions, people who are chemically dependent can be very emotionally unstable.
When a person is addicted to drugs or alcohol, they are also singularly fixated on procuring more drugs or alcohol. This thought drives all of their actions, and any person or thing who gets in the way of them continuing to use will likely be met with anger. For these reasons, no one who plans on confronting their loved one about drug or alcohol abuse should do so alone. If you have come to a place where you realize you must confront a loved one about their addiction, you absolutely should enlist the help of a professional interventionist.
Living with an alcoholic or being close to one often means living in a spiral of despair, guilt, and anger. When a person is addicted to alcohol, they are not in control of their behavior and often act in a way that is dangerous for themselves and those around them. It is a common myth that alcoholics are just people who do not have good character, but the fact of the matter is that anyone can be the victim of addiction.
It has nothing to do with a person’s moral character. If a person is chemically addicted to behavior, they are not in control of their alcohol consumption. This can be hurtful and frustrating for those around the alcoholic, who may not understand why a person cannot quit drinking. They may feel guilt for not being able to do a better job of stopping an alcoholic from drinking, or harbor resentment towards the alcoholic for not being able to drink.
Few things are as difficult as watching a loved one struggle with addiction. Addiction is a destructive force that takes over a person’s entire personality, and watching someone you care about damage themselves, their jobs, and their relatilconships is incredibly difficult and frustrating. It is normal to feel powerless and helpless when someone you love is facing addiction.
Addiction takes over a person’s entire brain and renders them powerless to fight impulses to use. Many addicts may lie about their addiction and how much they use. They may make promises that they intend to quit, or tell people that they have stopped using when they have not.
Addicts are not the only ones who can be in denial about their addiction. Friends and family can also remain in denial about whether their loved one actually needs treatment. How do you know when an addict is at risk? How can you tell if you should stage an intervention?
If you have a friend or family member who is suffering from addiction, chances are you have considered staging an intervention. It is incredibly devastating to watch a loved one struggle with addiction. They may often claim to quit, only to use again. Their moods may shift dramatically, and they may lash out and become unstable at even the mention of the thought of help. If an addict has reached this serious and severe stage of addiction, the important people in his or her life may have no choice but to stage an intervention.
Staging an intervention is a last ditch effort to appeal to an addict’s desire to get clean. No one but an addict can decide to get healthy, but communicating with the addict in as clear and serious of a fashion possible may be the impetus for the addict to finally come to terms with the severity of their addiction. While an intervention can be a very useful tool in convincing an addict to get help, staging the intervention is an extremely challenging process. Confronting an addict may very well cause them to go on the defensive, and end in a fight that sends the addict further away from their loved ones. So, how does one stage an intervention? How can you get through to your loved one and have the highest probability of a success rate?
Few things are as frustrating and upsetting as watching a loved one lose a struggle with addiction. Whether an addict is struggling with abuse of drugs or alcohol, when the addiction has completely taken hold of their lives, they are in essence a slave to that substance. An addict is so fixated on procuring more drugs or alcohol that they place this above literally every other aspect of their lives. They will sacrifice work, shelter, and the most important relationships in their lives in order to find more drugs or alcohol. This is an incredibly dangerous way for a person to live. An addict who is nearing rock bottom is risking their lives every day and must seek treatment if they are ever going to return to their normal selves.
One of the only ways a friend or family member of an addict can help lead an addict towards the decision to seek help is to stage an intervention. There are several methods of intervening with an addict.
Alcohol addiction is a serious and severe condition. No one knows more than the family and friends of an alcoholic what a devastating and destructive force alcohol can be on an addict’s life. If an alcoholic is drinking so much that alcohol is consuming their entire existence: their emotional well being, their financial stability, their ability to lead a normal life, they may also become distant and defensive toward those who love them. It can be extremely difficult to convince a person that they have a problem. An addict’s entire mindset is built around procuring more of the substance they’re addicted to, so anyone or anything that comes in their way is viewed as a threat. Often, the only way to get through to an alcoholic is to stage an intervention for them.
Staging an intervention should by no means be taken lightly. When friends and family are ready to intervene with an alcoholic, they should enlist the help of a professional interventionist. An interventionist has a background in substance abuse and plenty of experience dealing with addicts. They will help devise a plan that is specific to the alcoholic, their family, and their lifestyle. Because many alcoholics may react with feelings of anger or rage when confronted about their problem, it is crucial that an interventionist is involved in the process, in order to help deal with the alcoholic’s unpredictable behavior.
Ken Seely, speaks to how an intervention could of ended the sex addiction that lead actor David Carradine to an early death.
Actor David Carradine’s sex addiction is discussed on Jane’s Velez’s show.
Her panel includes top addiction and intervention expert, and author of Find It and Fix It, Ken Seeley; David Carradine’s third ex-wife, Gail Jensen; and TMZ assignment reporter, Mike Walters.
The group identifies that David’s preference was bondage, which Ken Seeley identifies as potential for a diagnosable sex addiction.
Foul Play?Was foul play a part of David Carradine’s untimely death, or was his sexual addiction responsible for asphyxiation, the autopsy-revealed reason for death?
Watch the two-part video interview to hear how David’s death could have been prevented, and how Ken Seeley works to help those who need to begin a life in recovery.
PART 1: