damiank

Any experience or knowledge about interventionists? I just looked for one in my state, and it's around 3-10k, i guess. Waste of money and time?

katie44

That is alot of money. I know of families from my naranon group that have arranged there own intervention with friends and family members, and a person with knowledge and experience in addiction. We have spent a great deal of money on as rehab programs. He went along with what we wanted, with no intention on working on his recovery. It was like flushing money down the toilet.

liesagain

There are treatment centers that are free or state funded that being said I feel like having to pay some person to come in and tell you (family) to write out your boundaries and have you read it to the addict then offer the choice of treatment ----well like said above a waste of money.

My personal opinion is a family, any family can get together and face the addict and tell them............we will no longer support you unless you are in recovery and hand the addict a list of options. Others may say that the addict can find their own way and that is true but I personally dont feel theres anything wrong with providing a list nor do I think theres anything wrong with explaining your boundaries to the addict ( Just be sure you mean what you say)

basically the above things are "an intervention"
but in the end its 100% up to the addict to follow thru with recoery and the same for the famiy we need our recovery too so Alanon or nar anon meetings for families are a good next step

suki44883

If you want to stage an intervention, you can do it without a professional. Am I right that it isn't drugs or alcohol, but smoking that you are trying to get him to stop? If so, I don't know that there is a "rehab" facility that deals with smoking. It would just be a matter of getting your family together in one room and explain to him how much you all love him but that if he doesn't stop smoking, you will be placing strong boundaries to your relationship with him. The thing is, you have to be willing to actually enforce those boundaries if he chooses to continue smoking. Everone in the family needs to be on the same page with this. You each have to decide exactly how your relationship with your brother will change if he refuses to stop smoking, and then let him know what you will do.

Taking5

I was involved in one intervention about 17 years ago (this was before I became a candidate for one myself). No professional was involved but a guy with 13 years sober in AA lead the deal and was very "professional" about it except he didn't want to get paid. We drew out boundaries, his friends, family and employer were all involved. He went to treatment, then AA. It worked.

URMYEVERYTHING

To me it's like gambling. If the addict says yes to help...then you have won for the moment. There is still detox, rehab and years of recovery. Even then, the addict could go back to using.

If the addict says no, then you are left with disappointment, hurt and out of 3-10K.

I say let the addict find his own way. The best intervention is when the addict has suffered enough of his own consequences and wakes up one day saying to themselves that they are tired of being tired and get help on their own.

That's just me.

tam

some of my friends told me to watch the show, I did once and only once. I didnt see the sense in going that route. but we did however do our own intervention with my AH. everyone sat him down and told him he will lose me, the family,his job, friends..everything..he cried and said he wanted help. I took him to rehab, he lasted 4 hours. that was 7 months ago and he is still the same even though he lost everything.
that being said, I am sure glad it didnt cost me any money and I have since learned and come to realize he has to do it for himself when and if he ever decides as he knows its out there.

littlebird77

I wouldn't pay for it... All you need to do is stick to your boundaries, you really can't put a price on that.

ladyamalthea

I agree with this 100%.

Kindeyes

We did an intervention with our AS almost four years ago. The intervention itself did not cost us anything (we had an interventionist), but the rehab (30 day) was around $8,500. Our son did go to treatment. He stayed the entire time. And here is why I feel it was worth every penny.

1. It was the beginning of MY recovery. My husband and I went to every family meeting, three times a week we drove 1-1/2 hours each way. I learned about myself and my role in the dance of addiction. It saved MY life. And I'm not the addict.

2. They emphasized that when the addict completes treatment, they have all of the tools to lead a sober life. But it's up to them to use them. It helped bring ME peace to know that I had provided the opportunity and tools for recovery for my son. I can't make him use those tools, but I have peace knowing that he has them....when he's ready.....those tools are there.

Would I do it again? We've put our son through counseling, inpatient rehab and outpatient rehab. We've done what we can. The rest is up to him. But I needed to provide those opportunities to him to release me from the guilt that a mother has when her beautiful son is addicted to meth. So the answer is.....if I had it to do over again....would I? Yes. Absolutely. But it was for me as much as it was for him.

gentle hugs

Callie

I wouldn't pay for it... All you need to do is stick to your boundaries, you really can't put a price on that.


I agree LB stick to it and MEAN IT! You've saved yourself a ton of money!

lightseeker

an intervention actually seems like it is an education opportunity for friends and loved ones of addicts. If an addict loses their enablers then their bottom has the chance of rising up a whole lot faster.

Each time I watch Intervention I always think "those poor families".....they don't know the 1/2 of it and how much more there is to the whole process.

I believe that when everyone in the addict's life is on the same page regarding boundaries then an intervention might be helpful. Still...it is a crap shot.

My husband went through 6 interventions and even more in patient rehabs. None of them "worked" per se but each of them did prepare him for when he finally decided to get sober. Then, there wasn't an intervention nor a rehab. He contributed $1 a meeting at NA. I think that sobriety occurs when the addict finally realizes that using is a dead end.

The missing part of a lot of addiction is family education. I know that I had no idea of what to do or what was going on. It was such a foreign world to me and everything that made sense to me to do was exactly the wrong thing to actually do. Tough love vs. loving someone to death I suppose. It took me awhile to understand that.

URMYEVERYTHING

I agree with this and this can be obtained so much more cheaper by going to an addictions counselor, Alanon, NarAnon and/or getting literature to read on addiction.

suki44883

I don't think I've ever heard of a formal intervention for smoking. I think just getting the family all on the same page by refusing to enable your brother would work just as well. Same principle without the cost and rehab stipulations. Maybe you could all chip in and buy him a box of nicotine patches or something.

outtolunch

Interventions are a lot like funerals. It's a support system for friends and family.

When done well, F&F have the opportunity to learn about their role and that they have absolutely no control over the outcome. When done poorly, it contributes to a sense that F&F have influence, leverage and control over the outcomes.

Rehab does not cure addiction or alcoholism. At best, rehab can help show a person that thay can accept responsibility for themselves, what they think and how they feel and change the course of their life. At the end of the day, it's up to the addict /alcoholic to use the tools, or not.

keepinon

Are we talking about cigarette smoking?

elbunn

My husband's father is currently using and probably dealing drugs. He is one of five children. It has been VERY difficult for all 10 of us (including spouses) to come to a conclusion as to what to do. He has been to an inpatient tx center for 100 days, and is not relapsing. I will say that while it is expensive..she is charging 5500 for the year...it was helpful so that it didn't get into a yelling match! She told us she has had 92% of people into rehab after an intervention. We thought our chances would be increased dramatically using someone else. That coupled with ALL the aruguing we had been doing the past month led us to her. Good luck with your decision!