Need some input on this situation. I have a family member, who shall remain nameless, who has had a serious alcohol/drug problem for some time. Not the type to do anything about it on his own and could possibly resist anyone else intervening. If any of y'all have been involved in an intervention/possible commission for treatment, maybe you can give me some ideas to pass along. I doubt I'm going to become directly involved in this, but I may be able to help out his parents, at least emotionally. Things are going downhill pretty quickly.

 

Not much you can do,if he/she does'nt want to admit the problem,first,and help him/herself.

 

My opinion is that until the person is done, interventions are useless. We had a intervention of sorts with my father this past month, but at the time he was strapped to a hospital bed having awakened from a 2-day coma and watching imaginary bugs climb all over the sheets.....in other words, he was ready to do something. Whether the course of action that I and others have suggested to him works is entirely up to him at this point.

 

I have and it was a spectacular waste of time and emotion. Frankly it made the situation worse and the person even harder to live with. Until the person with the problem is willing to admit it and ask for help, I can't imagine that it would be successful. But good luck to your family anyway -- maybe you'll be one of the successful ones that people hear about though I suspect those are urban legends.

 

If everyone that NEEDED help got it, there wouldn't be room for the ones that WANT help,

 

My sister did a sort-of intervention on me once. I hated her guts for a long time afterwards. She thought my son, two years-old at the time, was getting away with too much, (swearing) and she and her husband read me the riot act. I still believe she had no clue how to raise a two-year old (she never had one), and I was doing the right thing.

 

I've been involved in a bunch of them, both personally and professionally. I've never known any of them to have much effect. I consider interventions to be a waste of time.

 

yeah but it makes for great TV.

 

I hope it works out, Deb. I have a family member who had an alcohol problem. We all could see it. Though no formal intervention was attempted, some family members had spoken to him/her, about the drinking and what it was doing to his/her family, they got no where.

As with most people, the substance abuser has to realize they've hit bottom on their own. The family member had some health issues and realized the problems were related to drinking. That finally did it. Five years into AA and all is well, but as any AA member will tell you, it's "one day at a time."

 

Not a personal experience, but my best friend was part of one for his brother maybe two years ago. Didn't make a shred of difference. The self-destructive ways are still there, and the family went through a lot of pain trying to help.

You have my sympathies, Deb. I imagine it's tough to watch someone delf-destruct.

JonasM