When a friend or loved one starts having issues with drugs and alcohols relationships can become stressed and tensions can rise. It is never an easy task to initiate ‘the talk’ about how you feel; they may need to cut back on what they are doing or even seek helping depending on the circumstances. Nobody wants to see someone they know struggling with these issues and that is why it is crucial that you are educated on the best way to help them. Sometimes an intervention is the exact thing the individual needs to bring it to their attention that what they are doing is seriously harming them. For the individual involved it is very hard to take a step back and see what is going on from an outsider’s perspective, this is why having a family intervention …show more content…
Some reasons a family intervention takes longer than it should
Many people would like to think drug or alcohol issues can be resolved on their own and they will eventually just fade into the background. However this is rarely the case and on most occasions the habits just become worse making it a much tougher problem to overcome when the time comes. Some families are embarrassed that a loved one has such troubles with drugs and alcohol and do not want to open up to others about the situation as they are worried they will be judged. Although I’ve never heard of embarrassment being a threat to anyone’s life, whereas drug and alcohol abuse are serious issues if left untreated. Another reason may be that a parent is also involved in substance abuse, which then makes the intervention much tougher when these issues run in the family. How can someone with the same problem encourage someone else in the family to stop? At that stage it is learnt behavior and can be incredibly tough when more than one member of the family is doing it. This makes it even more important as to why a family intervention is needed, having a
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It is important to know when someone is trying to change and when they are bluffing so that you will leave them alone. There are many signs that the individual is still fully invested in their addiction and is not attempting to change. Firstly, if they continue to steal money or items from the house after they told you they were trying to stop, this is a clear indicator that they are not. The money will be used for drugs or alcohol and the cycle of addiction will continue and worsen. Another sign is that their sleeping or eating habits remain irregular. An addiction causes people to do all sort of strange things, wake up at weird times to use, forget about food at times due to their addiction etc. looking out for these continuous irregularities is important so that the individual doesn’t take it too far being an intervention occurs. Finally if you find them lying all the time about the drugs in their possession or their alcohol consumption it means they are not willing to change. If you think some of these signs are present you should take this intervention quiz provided by Family First. Make sure you find out if it is time for an intervention, it can never be too early when it comes to drugs and alcohol, these substances can be fatal so make sure you intervene before it’s too
Equally important, therapy for parents with children who abuse drugs, participate in treatment interventions in a therapeutic setting with the Family Therapy Model, using Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT. The main goal of CBT is to improve family relationships by promoting sobriety and correcting the erratic or destructive behaviors/patterns, which aid in a person’s addiction. The goal is to educate family members about triggers, in the event of a relapse or erratic behaviors that resurface. In the event, families can resolve conflict in a positive way and recognize future erratic behaviors, before it's too late. Nevertheless, the Strategic family therapy is the best option, for Ryan and his family because of the relationship and separation
The children would be overjoyed to work with their parents to make them better and have them live with them still. Some ethical dilemmas would be not to become too involved but you have to so that the family can trust you into helping them. You almost have to force the hand of the parents which is unethical you are not meant to force someone into getting help but if they don’t improve they are endangering the lives of their children. Another problem is getting the family to make changes again the children are willing to make those changes but the father is another problem. He has been through the whole cycle of change with drinking, he has stopped but then he has gone back and relapsed and it looks like every time he has relapsed he has gone deeper into drinking. Other challenges would be to find ways to get the family to actually attempt the intervention techniques that they would learn through the therapy or with working with the family. Another challenge would be finding a way to help the family pay for all this; it might be an ethical dilemma if wanting to provide these services, but not wanting to show them greater care than any other
Sheff (2008) found that "Addict's family walks an unhappy path that is strewn with many pitfalls and false starts. Mistakes are inevitable. Pain is inevitable. But so are growth and wisdom and serenity if families approach addiction with an open mind, a willingness to learn, and the acceptance that recovery, like addiction itself, is a long and complex process. Families should never give up hope for recovery-for recovery can and does happen every day. Nor should they stop living their own lives while they wait for that miracle of recovery to occur" (Sheff, 2008, pg. 230).
Drug addicts lie and steal from their families, lose jobs, and do not live stable lives. Abuse of Prescription medication and marijuana is among one of the greatest concerns in the United States, especially in young people because drugs are causing issues between families, money, etc. Addicts find ways to create different drugs. This is making drug abuse difficult to control and ultimately change. In addition, addiction is not only a physical dependence, but also mental. Drug abuse has various causes, effects, and treatments. Based on the pamphlet, “Another Look,” published by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc., states “If we can find greater agreement on what addiction is not, then perhaps what it is may appear with greater clarity” (3). If people can see drug addiction for what it really is, a sickness, then an addict’s family and friends would better understand that addicts do not choose to become addicted to drugs. Addiction is a routine of compulsive behavior (3). In addition, recovering addicts feel very restricted with freedom because they are afraid of abusing drugs again, but want to be free to do as they please at the same time (3). Addicts have a need to control everything because they fear there will be obstacles in life that they may not be able to handle (3). If addicts can find ways to deal with their problems, they may not use drugs as a way to escape reality. There are many ways for addicts to cope with life, such as, counseling, drug rehabilitation centers, family and friends support.
Substance use affects not only the individual who is using but the whole family unit. The family can be an important key factor in an individual's life when they choose to seek treatment. The family can help the individual who is addicted or they can negatively contribute to them relapsing. Family therapy is treatment that can reduce substance use and improve the family dynamics in a household. Brief Strategic Family Therapy is a common therapy used to treat substance use in families. This paper will explain why family therapy is important. It will also explain what Brief Strategic Family Therapy is and the process that families go through in it.
Blood and urine tests may also detect the types of abused drugs. But also in some cases there are certain signs and symptoms that provide clues that someone is on drugs (“Test and Diagnosis”). There is treatment out in communities that can help a person who is abusing the use of prescription drugs. Although, the treatment for a person who abuses prescribed drugs varies. But, counseling and psychotherapy are available in communities.
Before the addiction is in full swing, there are various stages the user will experience. There are many stages that the user will go through. The first stage would be experimentation. At this point, the person is not considered a user, yet. They are curious about the substance, the effects and the attraction that others also have in the substance. They may have friends or family members that talk about it. It may have been a case of peer pressure the first time the person uses the substance, or the person may try it as a coping mechanism to deal with stressful situations, such as the loss of a loved one, or a job. For some individuals it goes no further than the experimentation stage, for others it begins the “recreati...
First, the individual who is the addict must admit that there is a problem in order to begin the recovery process and weaken the hold of drug addiction.
They have been spending any money they can get on to score more drugs, funding their habit and causing their family to go broke. They can easily spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars fueling their drug habit in as little as one day or a short binge. Their addiction to drugs may be so severe that they are no longer able to function in the workplace, causing them to lose their job. These creates a bigger burden on your spouse or partner as they are then required to solely provide and care for the rest of the family, as well as for the addict. Far too many families have been faced with the decision of bankruptcy, foreclosure, losing their life’s savings, retirement savings due to their loved one addiction. It is a lot worse for people in poverty, because usually the cost of the substance could be worth what they earn. It can also cause trouble with the law costing hundreds and maybe thousands of dollars. In the article (Financial and Legal Consequences of Drug Abuse)” The government regulates addictive substances in an effort to reduce access to harmful drugs and preserve the health of its people. More than 46 percent –almost half—of federal arrests in the United States are on drug-related charges. An arrest like this most often leads to significant jail time, probation and a series of legal consequences that follow you permanently throughout life”.
This consists of “1 in 5 to 1 in 2,000 live births” (Harvard Mental Health, 2004, p. 2). Not only does this disease effect these children physically and mentally, but some of these children also become parentless and homeless due to their families addictions. If this occurs
The chances are that we all know or have loved ones with an addictions to either drugs or alcohol. Still today, one of the biggest challenges is being able to talk to that person about their addiction. Even though I personally have not had the opportunity to speak to a loved one or acquaintance about an addiction. Research shows when confronting a person with a problem; it takes preparation, patience, and being totally honest with that individual. Talking to someone with a dependency is something that most people avoid because people like myself would not want others mending in our lives; we, even, tend to believe that it is not our problem how much our f...
There is nothing about addiction that is easy or clear, and although every family's experience is unique, I know some of what you are going through at this time. The thing that makes addiction so difficult is that the cure is not one that a prescription can be written or a counseling session can fix or a parent can love out of them. The cure is totally dependent upon the addict. That is the frustrating and painful part of this illness and those of us who love our addict so much, and we cannot force them to get the help we so obviously see —they need—it has to be up to them.
Most drug addicts deny that they have a chronic problem. However, many are willing to get treatment and quit the behavior. Due to lack of family support and finances, some people are not able to go through the addiction treatment process. Fear is also a hindrance for drug users willing to
The diagnosis of this type of substance use disorder often is difficult because the symptoms of substance abuse can be comparable to the symptoms of other medical and behavioral problems that are found in older adults, such as dementia, diabetes, and depression. Many healthcare providers underestimate the extent of substance abuse problems among older generation, therefore, do not screen older adults. Seniors often live with or are supported by their adult children or other family members because of financial necessity and with their substance abuse it is placing additional financial hardship on supporting families, as well as the psychological damage. If the older adult’s spouse is present, they are likely to be an older adult as well, and may be perplexed by their partners new and disruptive behaviors and may not be able to understand the addiction. Therefore, their spouse may not be in a position to help assist in recovery. Their children may take on a parental, caretaking role. This role reversal can be stressful, painful, and embarrassing. In some cases, grown children may stop providing financial support, physical abuse, and assert emotional control because it is the only influence they have over the parent. Children may cut ties with the parent due to their substance abuse. Cutting ties have only increased the parent’s isolation and may worsen the predicament.
There are many addictions in the world, and drug addiction is the biggest. People may experiment with the drug for many reasons. “If your drug use is causing problems in your life, then you likely have a drug abuse or addiction problem”.(Lawrence Robinson pg.1) Many people start out using drugs by peer pressure or out of their own curiosity. Stress, anxiety, lows self-esteem and depression could be another factor to start using drugs. The drug takes over your body and gives you a good feeling that many people tend to enjoy. The urge to use the drug can keep increasing rapidly after the first use. The urge can become so severe that your mind can find many other ways to deny the factor of addiction. Very few drug addicts can feel and realize when they have crossed the line with drugs. A drug addicts mind can build up a very large tolerance for the drug that they start to abandon the activities they used to do on a daily basis like showering, hobbies, socializing and even being associated with family members. The person with the addiction will continue to use the drug knowing that it is harming there body, but they don’t have any remorse. A drug addict will often try to hide their problem, so they can continue to use without anyone’s input. Family and friends may try to use preaching methods or tell the user that they need to stop using the drug. This method is not ...