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Drug Interventions- My spouse doesn't think
he/she has a drinking problem. July 2005 - GCR Newsletter
Few things in life are more frustrating
than watching a loved one self-destruct and feeling like there
is nothing you can do to stop what is happening. You’ve
talked with them, you’ve pleaded with them, you’ve
threatened them and nothing seems to work. Your spouse may
be an alcohol abuser or he/she may be a full blown alcoholic
but the really frustrating part is they often do not seem
to want to help themselves get better.
There are steps you can take however to
protect yourself and even help your spouse. It is a painful
process for everyone involved but as bad as things are, if
an alcoholic continues to drink they will always get worse.
There are support groups that deal specifically
with the issues concerning the spouse and family member of
a problem drinker. Al-Anon and Alateen are 12-step support
groups that hold meetings all over the world to help family
members understand that they are not responsible for the self-destructive
patterns of problem drinking and they need to help themselves
first.
Many spouses find that they spend a great
deal of energy walking on eggshells and covering up for their
drunken spouse. Making excuses about why they are not at a
function or at work or otherwise protecting them when they
cannot function. These behaviors keep the problem drinker
from fully experiencing the consequences of his or her drinking
and should be stopped so the drinker understands the full
impact of his or her actions.
Family
interventions have been proven to be very effective as
a means of breaking through denial and getting the person
into treatment. Full service treatment centers like Gulf Coast
Recovery offer intervention services where a professional
interventionist will coordinate with you to make all the necessary
arrangements to execute a successful intervention that results
in the drinker attending a treatment center right away. This
includes pre-intervention training for all loved ones who
will be involved in the intervention and facilitating the
actual intervention.
An intervention is conducted in the same
manner all spouses of alcohol abusers and drug addicts should
be acting all the time. Speaking to the drinker in very specific
terms, telling him or her what you will do to protect yourself
if he or she does not get help with the drinking problem.
Drug
Interventions are particularly effective after a recent
consequence of drinking such as losing a job, getting a DUI,
having severe financial difficulties or blacking out and causing
an accident or humiliating event. During these periods the
drinker is feeling especially vulnerable and confused and
is more willing to seek a solution apart from more drinking.
The good news is that interventions do
work and even individuals who are skeptical and unwilling
to look at their drinking problem will have a change of heart
during and after treatment and many go on to live meaningful
lives without depending on alcohol.
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