Is Alcohol Intervention Really Necessary And Effective?

Getting a loved one to enroll in rehabilitation, especially when it comes to alcohol addiction, can be very difficult. Most family members go too easy on the addicted individual. While this may make you look like a good guy (after all, any form of toleration does seem kind at first), tolerating his/her alcohol intake will not help him/her to recover from the addiction. Unless you can apply tough love yourself, it is time for alcohol intervention.

The best rehabilitation centers in your area would have expert interventionists on their staff. This experienced individual knows how to handle all types of alcoholics, from severely addicted and violent ones to someone who is still in the milder stages of alcoholism. The key is to look for an alcohol intervention program that is specifically designed for your loved one's condition. If s/he is a teenager, you may want to contact a rehabilitation center that deals with teenagers.

There are many alcohol intervention programs available. Those who still have moments of lucidity tend to bring themselves to rehabilitation centers, so there is less of a need for interventionists. If the patient willingly submits to the treatment him/herself, the treatment is completed faster. However, there are some patients who are so addicted to alcohol that they cannot control their behavior anymore. They could become extremely violent when they are drunk, which is why their family members have no choice but to leave them alone.

Leaving them alone will actually worsen the situation. When the alcohol addiction is so severe, it is time to call for help. An alcohol intervention expert can visit your home, talk to you in the absence of the candidate and plan the intervention with you and your family so that the addicted individual can be calmly and safely transported from your home to the rehabilitation center.

Treatments after the intervention

The alcohol intervention process does not stop at removing the addicted individual from his/her old environment. Inside the rehabilitation center, s/he will have to undergo detoxification. This is a medical treatment that would help him/her wean alcohol from his/her system. This is done by completely ceasing the patient's alcohol intake but with minimal side effects that are typically caused by withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms are minimized by introducing controlled doses of medicines that mimic the effects of alcohol in the body. The detox treatment is complete once the patient's body can function normally again without alcohol.

Detox is only the beginning of the intervention program. The majority of the rehabilitation involves counseling or psychological treatment. Alcoholism is triggered by both the physiological and psychological abnormalities in the patient. Unless both aspects of alcoholism are treated, the addiction will not go away.

Family and outpatient support

Alcohol intervention programs do not take the responsibility away from the family in supporting the patient once s/he is released from the rehabilitation center. If anything, the programs aim to arm the patient's family so that they are able to provide strong moral support for the recovering patient.

While the patient is being treated inside the center, effective programs also help the family understand what really is going on. This way, they can help the patient get over the addiction once s/he gets out. If any family member is aggravating the addiction, this would be brought up during the family counseling sessions as well.