I have to say that I am truly shocked at the responses I received. I would expect a forum that is supposed to be offering support for loved ones - to be a little more well informed and open minded. I have been an addict, I know addiction. And as someone who has been addicted, I can tell you that when someone is addicted they are not able to think clearly or rationally. My parents confronted me on my addiction numerous times and I thought they were completely nuts. But had they done an intervention, I would probably have been saved years of suffering. The only reason I got sober - was because I ran out of my supply of Vicodin and realized I either had to figure out another way to live or risk breaking the law trying to get more and getting caught. If my drug of choice had been alcohol, or if I was already caught up in a life of crime (as many addicts are) I can tell you quite honestly, that I would probably not be sober right now.
This is not just about statistics. Although I am quite appalled at how easily you manage to throw statistics aside and instead rely on biased accounts. No one is out to gain from these statistics. I am not going to make money if you chose to believe them or not. But they are true. 85% is not a small number. And if you ask me (or anyone else with an ounce of reason) it beats waiting to see if the addict paralyzes themselves or someone else in a car accident, dies of over dose, or commits suicide. Let us look at the possible outcomes here and then you tell me that statistics don't matter.
But let's say you still poo-poo statistics, you cannot deny the scientific research that has been done. An addicted mind is a very sick mind. An addict is not going to all of a sudden have a "change of heart" as many of you would like to believe. The body has come to PHYSICALLY depend on the drug. It is not an act of will. If someone told you - either you stop drinking liquids or I will leave you, what would you say? That is what the addict hears when you tell them to stop taking whatever they are taking. They think you're crazy.
The problem in many cases is not just the addiction. The problem is how people PERCEIVE addiction. How you see something can either free you or limit you. And I have noticed on this forum that there seems to be ONE way of thinking and everything else is considered unenlightened. I find this ironic since the new science behind addiction contradicts much of what I read in the posts.
I am not here to debate. I came here to find support because I am organizing an intervention for a friend. I thought I could also offer advice as a former addict and as someone who works with addicts. But I see that in general, many of you think you know everything when it comes to addiction, so I have little to offer in that regard.
I wish I could be more diplomatic. But, frankly, I don't have the patience for diplomacy when I'm dealing with adults who can very well read the research themselves.
Panther