Intervening in a loved one’s addiction can seem like an impossible task. If you have almost given up hope — or have given up hope already — an intervention might be your last option. You can help your loved one get into an addiction treatment program in Portland, Oregon with our team at Crestview Recovery. Before you host an intervention, let us offer some clarity.
Get Help Before Staging an Intervention in Oregon
Let our addiction treatment team in Oregon provide you with insight and support in getting treatment for your loved one. If you feel an intervention is the best first step, we can provide guidance and support to you in the planning and execution. Remember that you should have addiction treatment already lined up and ready to go for your loved one.
Crestview Recovery provides comprehensive care and addiction treatment in Oregon. Our team can help you determine what your loved one’s needs are, and we can help you prepare for them to start coming into therapy. This way, during the intervention or conversation you have with your loved one, they are ready to take action to get into treatment with us. Learn more about our programs, including:
- Men’s drug rehab program
- Women’s drug rehab program
- Dual diagnosis treatment program
- Outpatient drug rehab program
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
Addiction Alters Brain Chemistry
Becoming chemically dependent changes the way people think–even when they are not under the influence. Addiction affects the brain’s survival centers; people who have become profoundly addicted to a substance believe they will die without it. Detoxing from certain substances can be dangerous. In these cases, a medical detox program can help people slowly remove the drug from their system using less addictive opioids. This sounds counterintuitive, but slowly tapering drug use under medical supervision through a detox program for drugs is often the best way to help people get sober because it helps them remain in treatment.
How to Stage an Intervention
Interventions can be incredibly effective in getting someone into treatment and on the road to recovery. But they need to be done carefully, with everyone on the same page.
Here are some tips for staging an effective intervention:
Plan Ahead
Don’t try to stage an intervention on the fly. Take some time to plan what you’re going to say and do. This will help everyone involved feel more prepared and confident.
Get Everyone on Board
Don’t try to go it alone. Make sure everyone who cares about the person with addiction is on board with the intervention plan. This includes close friends, family members, and even co-workers or other loved ones.
Choose a Safe Place
Pick a safe place to hold the intervention. This could be a neutral location like a coffee shop or someone’s home. It should be somewhere the person with addiction feels comfortable and where they won’t be able to leave easily.
Is Your Loved One with Addiction Likely to Respond Poorly?
One of the misconceptions and mistakes of interventions is that they should be a grand show with numerous people there crying for a loved one with an addiction. Yet, you know your loved one. They may not respond well to this many people playing a role in their addiction treatment. If you plan to stage one, keep the following in mind:
- Only those close to a person should be a part of it
- Keep the group small
- Expect the person to react badly
- Losing your temper will not help
- Be committed to helping your loved one get sober
- Do not provide an environment where drug use is acceptable
- Make sure you’re ready to handle any reaction
While an intervention can be a good thing for some people, for others, it can backfire and leave them less willing to tell you what’s going on.
Talk to Your Loved One with Addiction First
If you have not done so yet, make sure your loved one with addiction already knows about your feelings regarding a residential and inpatient treatment program. An intervention should not be the first time they’ve heard you mention addiction treatment to them.
It can be effective to sit down with your loved one to have a frank conversation about what you’re seeing and what’s happening to them. Be open about your fears and concerns. Most importantly, make sure they know that you want them to get addiction treatment in Oregon now. This type of one-on-one interaction with someone close to a person with an addiction is sometimes more effective.
Addiction Interventions at Crestview Recovery
Addiction treatment can be lifesaving. Our team at Crestview Recovery can help you right here in Oregon. If you have a loved one with an addiction and you’re not sure what to do, make our compassionate counselors your first call. Reach us online or call 866.262.0531 for an appointment.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
