Prescription drug addiction is a rapidly growing problem thanks to the wide availability of prescription drugs and the misperceptions about their safety. Most people take prescription medicines only for the reasons their doctors prescribe them, but an estimated 20 percent of Americans have abused prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. When a person becomes addicted to prescription drugs, it affects not only the addict’s life, but the lives of everyone close to the addict. If your loved one is displaying signs of a prescription drug addiction, don’t wait. Prescription drug abuse produces devastating effects that can not only ruin a person’s life, but can also be deadly. If you think someone you love has a prescription drug addiction, an addiction intervention can help you save their life.
How to Plan a Prescription Drug Addiction Intervention
The first step of any prescription drug addiction intervention is to seek professional guidance. Even if you want to perform the intervention on your own, you should contact a drug addiction treatment facility and ask someone to walk you through the process. An intervention is a very delicate situation that could push the addict deeper into his or her addiction and away from you. If done correctly, though, it can be a very powerful tool in your loved one’s recovery. For this reason, it is highly advised that loved ones planning an intervention enlist the help of a professional interventionist. Interventionists are specially trained counselors who can help you conduct an intervention in a safe and more productive manner.
The next step of a prescription drug addiction intervention is to gather everyone who is significant to the addict (family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, etc.) to discuss the details with the interventionist. Everyone decides together how the intervention will take place, identify who will be involved in the intervention, and develop a plan for treatment. The goal of an intervention is to get the person to agree to get help by immediately attending a treatment program. Just promising to stop the behavior is not acceptable.
Prescription Drug Addiction Intervention: What to Expect
The first thing you should be prepared for during a prescription drug addiction intervention is for the addict to deny his or her addiction and to become very defensive, hostile or angry. Don’t let this deter you from your mission. You can also expect those participating in the intervention to feel apprehensive, frustrated, angry, guilty or defensive. This is normal, and the ability to express these feelings with the addict will help family members and friends to begin the process of healing. Your interventionist will help all participants, including the addict, navigate these emotions in a safe and productive manner.
During the intervention the group will meet with the addict to express their love and concern, present facts about the impact the addict’s addiction has had on their life, show they are unwilling to ignore the behavior any longer, and help the addict to admit they need help.
Finding Treatment After a Prescription Drug Addiction Intervention
Before a prescription drug addiction intervention takes place, a plan for treatment must be made. It is imperative that addiction treatment be prearranged so that the addict can immediately begin treatment after the intervention. Your interventionist can help you find an effective prescription drug addiction treatment center. There are many different types of drug rehabs, but the best type of drug rehab for prescription drug abuse is residential treatment. Residential treatment for prescription drug abuse provides a structured environment that’s free of temptations and distractions, and provides round-the-clock care and support to help the individual focus on recovery. Residential treatment programs will provide supervised detoxification from the prescription drug’s harmful toxins, individual and group therapy to learn new behavior skills, and holistic therapies such as yoga, meditation and equine therapies to heal the spirit and mind as well as the body.
If you have a loved one suffering from prescription drug addiction, start the healing process today and ask an addiction treatment specialist to help you plan a prescription drug addiction intervention.
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