If you are the loved one of an addict or alcoholic who is deeply rooted in their dependence, you may be wondering how to hold an intervention in WA state. The drug use and drinking of addicts and alcoholics not only affect their physical person but they impact the lives of everyone who loves them. When you are invested in their life, their behavior and decisions also affect you. If you are a parent of someone addicted to drugs or alcohol, their choices may even seem like a reflection on you as a person. Unreturned phone calls, disappearing for weeks at a time, missed holidays, and ruined birthdays are normal for anyone who lives with or loves a severely substance dependent person. These actions affect the lives of everyone around the person who is using drugs or drinking alcohol, whether or not they realize it. And usually, they don’t realize it. It may feel as though you have tried everything to get the addict or alcoholic in your life to wake up and realize the impact they have on the lives of those they care about. You have screamed and yelled and you have tried the silent treatment. You have left brochures for treatment centers and you have dropped hints in conversations. You’ve likely even tried leaving them alone for periods of time to make their own decisions, but you inevitably crack and check-in to make sure they are okay. Sometimes the only option you feel like you have left is to stage an intervention. Interventions in WA state are not impacted by any legal restrictions; in fact, there are many programs available throughout the state of Washington which can help you find treatment centers and options to help your substance-addicted loved one. There are also groups for you to receive support and understanding during this difficult time in your own life. Just like your loved one, you don’t have to struggle alone either. Taking care of yourself is just as important as finding help for your loved one; if you can’t help yourself you won’t be able to help them. Read on to find out how you can stage an intervention in WA state for the person in your life struggling with substance dependence, addiction, or alcoholism.
Interventions in WA State – What Are They?
Shows like A&E’s “Intervention” have popularized the approach to helping your substance-dependent loved one. Seeing the dozens of addicts and alcoholics on the show accepting treatment and getting sober gives you hope that perhaps it could happen to the person you care about. Maybe they will say yes, you think. Maybe they will go to treatment and receive the care they so desperately need. However, if you have never seen the show or are not familiar with addiction and alcoholism treatment, you may have never heard the term “intervention.” An intervention is a process of directly addressing the addict or alcoholic you love and requesting that they attend drug and alcohol treatment to receive help in getting sober. The intervention itself will consist of individuals who are important to and care most about the addict or alcoholic in question, such as close friends and family members or their children. During the intervention, each person has the opportunity to say how they feel about the addict or alcoholic and inform them of how their behavior has impacted them personally. Interventions are usually an incredibly emotionally-charged time and are most effective when you also include a licensed professional to mediate the discussion. There are many individuals who are qualified to oversee interventions in WA state. The ultimate goal of an intervention is to get the addict or alcoholic to seek treatment for their substance dependence. By providing concrete examples from the people they care most about, the hope is that they realize the impact their using or drinking has had not only on themselves but the people around them. When they see how they have affected those they love, they may be willing to seek help in order to get sober. If the addict or alcoholic decides not to seek treatment, there will be consequences involved that you must decide prior to the intervention. Will you cut off monetary support? Limit contact with the individual? Not allow them to see their children? What will be a severe loss in their life that will hopefully result in their seeking treatment? Sitting down with an intervention specialist or other certified professional will help you to determine the best course of action to take when it comes to establishing consequences.
How to Hold an Intervention in Washington State
When conducting an intervention in the state of Washington, there are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Develop a plan beforehand.
Creating a plan is an absolute necessity for any intervention. Interventions in WA state, or any intervention for that matter, should not be something thrown together last minute. This has the potential to be the saving grace in the life of your drug-addicted or alcoholic loved one. Every part of the intervention needs to be planned out and intentional in order to produce the best outcome. Getting in touch with an individual who specializes in substance abuse interventions will be helpful. They have experienced many interventions before and understand what needs to take place. They can help you establish a group of people who will attend and to find a treatment center for your loved one to hopefully attend.
2. Gather only the people who need to be there and no more.
The greater the number of people at the intervention, the more likely the addict or alcoholic will feel they are being ganged upon. If they feel threatened, your loved one is less likely to respond positively or be open to what each of you has to say. Finding yourself in an intervention is an overwhelming thing and you want to ensure that you minimize the potential for that. While they shouldn’t be babied, there should still be an attempt to make the intervention of your loved one as welcoming as possible. Only invite people who need to be there: parents, siblings, children, or close friends. The smaller the number of people, the better the chance they will be receptive to what you have to say. If there is a question of whether or not someone should be a part of the intervention in WA state, it is better to leave them out.
3. Approach your loved one from a place of loving concern.
One of the most important parts of intervention in WA state is to come from a place of love and care for the individual, rather than attacking them and the choices they have made. Many addicts and alcoholics grow to be incredibly defensive when they perceive something to be confrontational and you want to limit any possibility of this. When you approach with concern and compassion, your loved one is much more likely to respond positively. If you come out of the gates guns blazing, the protective wall your loved one has built will shoot up immediately and all hope will be lost. They might even get up and leave if they feel that it will just be a yelling match. Your intervention will be entirely unsuccessful and you want to avoid this at all costs. Instead, approaching from a position of concern and love with a calm temperament will result in the best response. When your loved one sees that you are holding an intervention because you care, not because you are angry or have given up all hope in them, there is a better chance they will listen to what you have to say.
4. Enlist the help of a professional certified in interventions in Washington state.
Having a neutral third party, especially one who is certified to handle interventions in WA state, will ensure that erratic emotional responses remain at bay. An intervention is an emotional event and you want to make sure that everyone remains as level-headed as possible, both the addict or alcoholic and all of their loved ones who are present. A certified professional can guide interventions in the state of Washington, keeping everyone focused and on-topic. These professionals have handled many interventions in the past and understand how the conversation should flow and progress. They will mediate disagreements and encourage open communication between all parties involved, hopefully resulting in a positive response.
5. After your intervention in WA state, send your loved one to the best treatment center for them.
Before the intervention, do some research both on the extent of your loved one’s substance use and then on the treatment centers which would be most appropriate for them. Is their addiction or alcoholism so severe that they need to stay in a medication-assisted detox for the first few days? Do they need to attend a 30-, 60-, or 90-day program in an inpatient drug and alcohol rehab facility? Are they capable of managing their daily life without inpatient care and can they instead attend an intensive outpatient program? Finding out the best type of treatment which will suit the needs of your loved one is important so you can send them as soon as they say yes. Having the facility set up beforehand will help create a smooth transition into treatment after the intervention WA state. The easier you make it for your loved one to attend treatment, the more likely they will be willing to attend.
6. Stick to your consequences.
In the event that your loved one chooses not to attend treatment after your intervention in the state of Washington, you must stick to the consequences you have selected. Though it can be heart wrenching and seemingly impossible to do, staying consistent with what you say you will do shows that you are serious about how their drinking or using has impacted you. Once they realize they are losing things in their life that are important to them, hopefully, this will provide the wake-up call they need. If you go back on the consequences you said you would happen, this tells your loved one that they can continue behaving the way they are and that they will receive no real consequences for their actions. If there are no consequences, why would they change their behavior? As difficult as it will be, you must hold your ground and maintain the boundaries you created.
Self-Care When Staging an Intervention in WA State
The life of your drug-addicted or an alcoholic loved one is important and precious to you, otherwise, you would not be staging an intervention in Washington state. They are your son, daughter, father, mother, brother, or sister. They are your friend. They are someone who means everything to you, who you do not want to see suffering. However, you cannot disregard your own life for the sake of theirs. Self-care is important when staging an intervention in WA state, as you will not be of help to them if you cannot first take care of yourself. You must also be prepared in the event they refuse to attend treatment and you have to stand by the consequences you said would happen. If you do not properly take care of yourself and prepare yourself to handle this possibility, you could potentially set yourself up for your own downward spiral. There are 12 Step programs for the loved ones of addicts and alcoholics, such as Al-Anon or Nar-Anon. These groups help you learn to acknowledge the common behaviors of codependency and enabling seen in those who deal directly with addicts and alcoholics whom they love. Through working the 12 Steps in these groups with a sponsor, you can learn to separate yourself from the behavior of your loved one. You can develop the coping skills necessary to handle their behavior and will receive support from other families and friends of alcoholics and addicts who understand exactly what you are going through.
After the Intervention in WA State
If you follow the guidelines outlined above, your intervention in the state of Washington will go as smoothly as it possibly can. Regardless of the outcome, it is necessary that you adhere to whatever treatment plan or consequences you have set up. In addition to getting help with your loved one, you must also find help for yourself. Hopefully, the addict in your alcoholic in your life chooses to attend treatment and begins the path towards sobriety and recovery. Whether or not they do, it is important that you begin your own path towards healing and wellness so that you may provide support when necessary and distance when called for. Through working on yourself you will learn how to help your loved one, whatever the outcome may be.