Welcome to Intervention 911

Our Blog

Drug And Alcohol InterventionFew 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.

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Alcohol Intervention 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 and ultimately get them into an addiction treatment program.

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:
[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Many people associate interventions with chemical addictions like drugs or alcohol. The reality is, however, that people can become addicted to a wide variety of compulsive behaviors. The definition of addiction is: the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is physically habit-forming to the extent that it causes severe trauma. This means that anyone who is exhibiting destructive behaviors that have rendered them powerless over their own lives is an addict, and may be in need of help from a professional interventionist to get them enrolled in an addiction treatment program in California such as a detox program in Malibu, a residential treatment program in San Diego, an intensive outpatient program in Pasadena, etc. One addictive behavior that may require the help of an interventionist to stop is gambling. It can be difficult to spot a gambling problem, because one of the symptoms of a gambling addiction is concealing the amount of gambling that an addict is engaging in, or lying about how much money they have lost. It is likely that a severe addict will begin to openly exhibit symptoms once the problem has become too big for them to conceal. It may become apparent that a loved one is facing a gambling addiction when they ask to borrow large amounts of money, or fall so behind on rent or bills that they face eviction or have their utilities shut off. A gambler may also have stretches of time that they are not able to account for, or exhibit delusions that they will be able to recoup their losses if they continue to gamble.
Teen drug abuse is one of the most dangerous and common problem facing young people and their families. Interventions for teens and young people are not uncommon.  Drug and alcohol abuse poses particularly high risks for teens because their bodies and minds are still developing. Many parents worry about whether their teen is using, and want to do anything they can to prevent their teen from falling prey to substance abuse. The good news for concerned parents is that strong family ties have been found very effective in fighting teen drug use. The more time parents spend with their children, the more they have the opportunity to stress the importance of living a healthy, responsible life. Teens who feel loved and accepted by their parents generally have much higher self esteem, which makes them far less likely to to use drugs or alcohol. An increased amount of conversation and quality time spent between parents and teens also leads organically to more frank conversations about drugs. Open dialogue about drug and alcohol use is a great way to decrease the allure of “taboo” activities.  It also allows parents to feel that they know what is going on in their teen’s life, which likely leads to them treating them with more trust. When a teen is treated with trust and respect, they are far less likely to betray said trust when faced with peer pressure or other circumstances that may tempt them to do experiment with drugs.

When we think of substance abuse in college, it is not uncommon to assume that the drugs being abused are alcohol or other “party drugs.” The fact is, however, an alarming number of college students are abusing “study drugs” like Ritalin or Adderall. It can be particularly difficult to spot a dependency on these drugs, since many of the people who use them are getting good grades, and many other people are prescribed these drugs as treatment for a legitimate condition like Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The growing incidents of study drug abuse is disturbing because these drugs, when used by someone who does not need them, can be very dangerous.

Both Adderall and Ritalin are very strong stimulants, which means that they come with serious side effects. They can cause serious physiological reactions in the body. They can cause insomnia, anxiety, and hallucinations. Stimulants increase a person’s heart rate, which makes them much more prone to seizures and chest pains. The side effects of an increased heart rate can be very severe and even deadly. It is possible for stimulants to cause an irregular heartbeat or the potential for cardiovascular failure.

Being the family member or loved one of an addict is an extremely trying and confusing position to be in. Feelings of guilt and helplessness are very common, and it is likely that at the root of these upsetting emotions is a strong sense of ambivalence around whether you are, in fact, enabling an addict. This can be a very difficult truth to come to terms with, because an addict generally does not have the means or wherewithal to take care of their basic needs, so enabling often feels like the right thing to do because you are “saving” the addict from being in an even worse position than they already are. How do you know when enabling is the right thing to do? How can you tell if you are enabling at all?

It is never a good idea to enable.

Enabling an addict is the same as enabling their addiction. As long as an addict has support to feed off, it will continue. Enabling an addict prolongs “rock bottom,” and thus prolongs the addiction, allowing it to have a more and more harmful effect on the addict.

Denial: The Dangerous Enabler Of Addiction To Drugs And Alcohol

Founder of Intervention 911, Ken Seeley identifies the number one symptom that indicates the disease of addiction: denial.

People die because they, and their families, do not believe they are “not that bad” or “not that sick.”

Enabling an addict and codependency of family members and other loved ones, contribute to the disease of addiction and the rate at which addicts overdose, and die.

Ken and his team at Intervention 911 help you identify your role in the addict’s life, and how you can intervene to stop the use of drugs and alcohol by someone you love.

Recovery is possible for everyone! Watch now to see how Ken Seeley can help you!

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop