Statistics of Interventions

Compiled a list of statistics on Interventions that I feel need to be read:

• In 1966 the American Medical Association classified alcohol abuse as a disease. In 1974 the American Medical Association classified drug abuse as a disease.
• The National Center on Addiction & Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that over 80% of those incarcerated in adult & juvenile penal institutions were there directly or indirectly as a result of the disease of addiction.
• Drug overdose is the number 1 killer of offenders released from prison. Cocaine is the most common drug involved in the overdose.
• The United States accounts for only 5% of the world’s population. However, two-thirds of illegal drugs are consumed in America.
• Twenty-five percent of the world’s prisoners are incarerated in America, and again Americans only account for 5% of the world’s population.
• Between 1995 and 2005 treatment admissions for dependence on prescription painkillers grew more than 300%.
• More than 29% of the teens in treatment are dependent on some form of prescription medication, some of which include tranquilizers, sedatives, & opiates.
• Approximately 14 million Americans, 7.4% of the population, meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or alcoholism.
• More than half of American adults have a close family member who has or has had alcoholism.
• In the United States approximately 1 in 4 children younger than 18 years old is exposed to alcohol abuse or dependence in the family.
• Parents’ drug abuse often means chaotic, stress-filled homes and child abuse and neglect. Such conditions harm the wellbeing and development of children in the home and may set the stage for drug abuse in the next generation.
• Children with an addicted parent or parents are at a significantly greater risk for mental illness or emotional problems, such as depression and/or anxiety. There is also greater risk for children to have physical health problems and learning disabilities including difficulty with cognitive and verbal skills, conceptual reasoning and abstract thinking.
• Children of addicts or alcoholics are almost 3 times likely to be verbally, physically, or sexually abused; and 4 times more likely than other children to be neglected.
• Adults who abuse drugs often have problems thinking clearly, remembering, and paying attention. They often develop poor social behaviors as a result of their drug abuse, and their work performance and personal relationships suffer.
• In the United States alone more than 100,000 deaths each year are attributed to alcohol and drug abuse.
• Among the Nation’s alcoholics and problem drinkers as many as 4.5 million are adolescents and adolescents are disproportionately involved in alcohol-related automobile accidents; the leading cause of death among young Americans 15 to 24 years old.
• 1 in 4 deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drug use.
• More than 75% of domestic violence victims report that their assailant had been drinking or using illicit drugs at the time of the incident.
• Adolescents who abuse drugs often act out, do poorly academically, and drop out of school. They are at risk of unplanned pregnancies, violence, and infectious diseases.

Stats above were provided by Interception Intervention 

Intervention Location

An intervention can be a very trying time for both the addicted individual and the family involved. While emotions can fly high and hard during this time, some unexpected issues may arise as well. This is why the location in-which the intervention is being performed, is so important.

Not only does the location need to be outside the realm of the addict’s enabling environment, but it also has to be neutral to all parties involved. Coupled with a solid intervention strategy, a safe and friendly location – for initiating the intervention – is critical in aiding its success.

While the exact location where interventions are to-be conducted can change from individual to individual, popular choices that have garnered success are:

·         Churches

·         Community Centers

·         Hotel Meeting Rooms

·         Doctors’/Psychologists’ offices

The key is to read the mindset of the individual being intervened, and find the perfect location in-which he/she will feel most comfortable and willing to be as open an honest as possible. Churches can be one of the more effective locations, as they can offer a sense of spiritual healing as well as reminding the intervened individual of the ethereal love that surrounds them.

Community centers are readily available to the public and can be used for an initial intervention, but are not often used by intervention specialists, as a more suitable environment is usually available.

Hotel meeting rooms are the “tried-and-true” locations that a certified interventionist finds preferential. A hotel is designed to breed a feeling of comfort and hospitality. Therefore, conducting the intervention within this comfortable and hospitable environment strengthens the trust between the addict, family, and the interventionist.

While an intervention can be conducted in a physician’s office, it is often not recommended, as the environment can raise the anxiety levels of all who are involved.

Choosing the correct location for an intervention requires careful thought. The correct location is dependent upon the individual receiving the intervention and the family/friends initiating it. With careful thought, planning, and a correct location: all details of the intervention can come-together and ensure a successful intervention, and heighten the chances that the addicted individual will return to a life of sobriety.

Family Matters

                When dealing with the issue of addiction, families often play a key role in the psyche of the addicted mind. Common triggers for addiction include: loss of a family member or friend, absence of family, abuse within the family, or other issues occurring within the familial circle. Though matters pertaining to one’s family can lead to the onset of addiction, the family can also be an integral keystone in the recovery process.

                Post-intervention treatment usually includes group therapies and treatment in a group setting. This is because the throes of addiction are rooted in loneliness, and often the height of substance abuse occurs when the addicted individual is alone. By thrusting a “user” into a community that shares a common goal, teamwork and communal efforts, these efforts become a priority over problematic substances, giving the addicted individual an outlet for all of the emotions that led them down the path of addiction.

                Just as a family or “group” can lead to a successful recovery during treatment, comprising an “intervention family,” or a group of persons dedicated to the healing of the addicted individual, can ensure that the staged intervention will positively affect the recovery process.

                When staging an intervention, it is important to ensure it is done within a loving and caring environment.  Most conducive to a loving and caring environment is the proximal support of family and friends during the initial intervention. Again, the most severe aspects of addiction occur during the absence of family and friends.

                Providing a comforting blanket of caring bodies during the intervention will not only relieve the anxiety that is inherent with an intervention, but also brightens the hope of the person being intervened. Hope is the single-most motivating factor in recovery, and the presence of hope is exponential when more and more persons are involved with the delicate process of an intervention.

Digging for Sobriety

Remsburg, miner turned star of Discovery Channel’s Gold Rush speaks about his struggles with alcoholism

Remsburg has actively been in recovery from alcoholism for a decade, and with the exception of a few minor slips, has been winning his fight with the disease that nearly took away his career and family. And with the miners pocketing a mere $8,000 each for the gold they dug up during the five-month season, Remsburg will be returning for season three to try to solve his financial difficulties once and for all. 

...more about this story on TheFIX.com

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Is it time for a Drug Addiction Intervention - maybe?

“An addiction is an obsession. It takes over your mind and your every thought.”

Found a great list of Symptoms of Substance Abuse to be aware of via Family First Intervention:

• Deteriorating personal hygiene
• Decline in physical health
• Sudden weight change
• Inability to focus and follow conversation
• Tremors of hands
• Slurred speech
• Car accidents or falls
• Constant runny nose
• Personality and behavioral changes
• Excessive drug prescriptions for self and family
• Frequent emotional crises
• Arguments/violent outbursts
• Extramarital affairs
• Withdrawal from family and close friends
• Neglect of children
• Unexplained absences
• Embarrassing behavior
• DUI or other arrests
• Alcohol on breath
• Frequent unexplained absences from work
• Defensive behavior
• Frequent job changes