Drug Intervention, Three Things to Remember When Talking to an Addict About Getting Help.

I don’t need treatment!  

Detox Rehab programs are full of people who “don’t need treatment”.

It seems pretty weird when someone who drinks themselves into a stupor three times a week and the rest of the time, drinks “responsibly”…meaning only to the point of staggering a little would say they have control of their drinking.

Or somebody who smokes grass every morning to “get going” and then after lunch to “mellow out” and again after dinner to relax considers they are still in control of their Drug use.

One of the initial factors of drug Addiction is Denial that goes so deep, the addict truly believes he or she has a handle on their drug use. This is one of the reasons they let it get out of hand in the first place, they really don’t see it coming! They didn’t start out by smoking or drinking every day, it was only for parties at first.

But drug addiction is progressive, meaning it will continue to escalate on its own power as long as the effort to stop is not sufficient to break the cycle. And it is almost always true that when drug use gets to the point that friends or family are suggesting to the user that there might be a problem, effort to quit will be required.

So…how do you deal with these deniers? When just bringing up the subject of their drug or Alcohol problem guarantees a flare-up, what can you do?

1. Be Calm.

The last thing you need is for tempers to flare. That will stop any meaningful communication with the addict. Realize that when the addict blows up, it is the addiction talking! You’re not reaching the person, you’re running headlong into the resistive nature of drug addiction and there is no logic or judgment in it.

When you bring up the drug use, you are running into any previous fights on the subject.

If you can keep you own anger and disappointment in check, you will not give him anything against which to fight. This could be the make or break of the whole attempt.

2. Do Not Make the Addict Wrong.

Even though getting stoned and drunk all the time is completely counterproductive and destructive, there must be enough good in it in the eyes of the addict to continue doing it.

They are still going to the bar or the parties and getting wasted for a reason. We may not know what that reason is, and the addict might not know either, but THERE IS A REASON. And getting wasted has become a solution to whatever the problem is. To tell the addict that they are wrong accomplishes nothing but starting a fight. Let him or her know that together, you’d like to help find that reason and solve the problem without destructive drugs or alcohol.

3. Focus On the Future.

Look at the possibilities for the future, what could be accomplished, what goals might he or she have and what would it take to achieve those.

Sometimes it helps to look at dreams the addict once had, plans that you made together or that were once burning ambitions. These were things that made him feel good and have hope for a life that meant something. Guaranteed those plans didn’t include being drugged into oblivion. Point out that these things are still possible.

If, in this way, you can bring the user up to seeing where they could be headed, they might just be able to look at where they are headed if the drugs and drink don’t stop.

Give it a try. Speak to the person without anger or accusations and focus on hope for a better future and they may just come around to seeing that possible future themselves.

At The Road Out we work with many professional addiction interventionists, and the most successful of these are the sweetest people you would ever want to meet. They have a skill of remaining calm in any situation.

If needed, call (866) 966-3784 and ask for Tony or Sigal and we can help set up whatever is needed to bring your friend or loved one back. It’s a free call and it is totally fine to call just to get some advice.

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