Alcohol Intervention
Does Someone You Know Need An Alcohol Intervention?
If you know and love someone who is abusing alcohol, it may be time to consider a alcohol intervention today. Most people have either no idea what an intervention actually is or they have some preconceived notion. It’s not typically what you’ve seen on TV. At Pathfinders Interventions, our interventionists don’t typically use the “surprise party” interventional approach. We use an educational approach that addresses more than just the alcohol abuser. People don’t get sick by themselves, and they certainly don’t get better alone. No one has more influence on a person like their family. It’s time we use the strength of that connection to heal. No more threats. No more coercion. Just honesty, clarity, boundaries and love. There is hope. Call us to find out how we do interventions today.
A Different Approach To Drug And Alcohol Interventions
Clearly, someone that is abusing alcohol needs help. But, what if the whole family needs help? The point is, they always do. It’s a fact, only alcohol abusers are responsible for drinking, but as this occurs, family members get hurt repeatedly. Over time, these wounds run deep, effect judgement and tear families apart, yet these family members get the least amount of help. Our alcohol interventions address this and deal with it directly. We see the family as the “identified patient” rather than focusing only on one individual. A healthier family is our goal.
Think about it, if we only focus on the alcohol abuser, send him/her off to treatment only to return to the same wounded environment, what are the chances of success for that individual? What are the chances of further wounding? Interventions that focus on treating the system helps everyone get better. I’s a simple concept that gets results.
Another Problem With The Traditional Approach To Interventions
Many interventionists meet with the family as a group before the intervention, organize them to write letters and then arrange to surprise the alcohol abuser where they coerce that person into going to treatment that day. This is often referred to as the “surprise party” approach to interventions. All this is done in secrecy behind the person’s back which adds to the family secrets. There is considerable stress involved in planning all this approach- for the family members, the person being intervened on and even the interventionist. There is a high expectation that the person will go off to treatment right then and often incredible leverage to get the person to do so.
This leverage, once applied, often works. Success is measured by the person going off to treatment right then. The problem is that most people will do what we initially want them to do- when forced. But, once they go to treatment, that individual is usually very angry about being surprised like this and spends entirely too much time focusing upon the intervention rather than the issues that lead to the intervention. Too often, the person uses the intervention as a diversion to the real issues. This leads to wasted time and money in treatment which naturally leads to high rates of leaving treatment prematurely and poor outcomes after treatment.
At Pathfinders Interventions, our approach is more educational. We begin to help each family member develop their own plan for getting better and work with them to set up systems of accountability to facilitate these changes. It’s not a process that occurs overnight, but an intervention that leads to people getting better. We use a respectful, direct approach to healing.
Our interventionists will meet with you and your family anywhere in Georgia including Athens, Augusta and Savannah. If you know someone here in Atlanta who has been using alcohol and needs help badly, a Pathfinders drug and alcohol intervention is the right call to make. Call 770.569.3801 today.
Click here to read more about drug & alcohol interventions in Columbus, Atlanta, Macon & Savannah.