Many struggle with substance abuse to deal with their everyday stress and life issues. A lot of times they become addicted to it, using the substance to numb difficult emotions and therefore building a tolerance to its effect over a long time. Some may come to think that alcohol and drugs assist them with dealing with their emotions throughout the day, but scientists have recorded consistently that drug abuse actually decreases your body’s effectiveness to process anxiety, depression, anger, and even sleep and digestion as far as everyday functions. While using these substances bring harsh consequences to a person’s health, anyone heavily relying on their addiction will seek out reasons to justify their unhealthy habits and deny the reality of how serious their condition is. Holding interventions can make a change with this pattern, as well as help families take a proactive approach for reaching out to the person who needs help. According to a study in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, around 75 percent of families who host an intervention for an addict are able to encourage the person they love to get care. That’s definitely a stat to pay attention to!
Write a Letter
While it seems old fashioned, collecting your thoughts on a piece of paper can be a smart move before having an extremely difficult conversation with your loved one. Before holding your intervention, make sure you can avoid writing in a confrontational tone of voice that could ruin the mood and discourage the addict even more to get help. On another note, if the letter seems too laid back then the intervention could be pointless and not effective enough. During an intervention, the addict will most likely be on defense. Be sure to help them put their guard down by reminding them in the opening paragraph how much you love them, and how many positive qualities they have to feel cared for. The next area of your letter must spotlight directly state the problem, so calmly pointing to the evidence will be the best. More often than not, addicts are in denial about the scope of their problem so they need to understand they are in need of serious help.
Afterwards, introduce the direct consequences of their addiction so they are aware of the ways an addict can bring harm to their loved ones. The important thing to drafting this section of your letter is to keep the consequences as personal as you can. The more your complaints are based in your own experience, the less room the addict has to deny they are true. Then, make sure to include examples of how your relationship will change if he or she continues to abuse drugs and alcohol. This isn’t a list of ultimatums, but rather a way to identify how the addict’s bad habits have forced you to take on new behaviors of your own. Remember to end your letter on a positive tone of voice by reminding them how much they’re loved by you and their family. Focus on encouraging them and how they can improve during and after their treatment for abuse.
The Impact of a Toxic Addict
Anyone who is dealing with a toxic family member who happens to be an addict understands that the experience can be difficult. If an addict is one who is particularly stubborn, often their family will fall into feeling guilt and dealing with their bad behavior. Likewise, anyone codependent on the addict will feel the same amount of stress about their abuse, upset that their help isn’t being effective, and unappreciated from changing their routine to complement that of the addict. You need to decide what role to play in the relationship and set definite boundaries with what you can’t deal with emotionally. If needed, pull back from the relationship for a moment to destress yourself and remember that sometimes that their issues aren’t your fault, you can’t fix everything, and family drama can be inevitable.
The Takeaway of an Intervention
Hosting an intervention of your own or seeking a professional interventionist is important since it fosters honest and proper communication between yourself and the addict. The majority of families push towards trying to fix the addict, but counselors push for the family system to be completely united to hold their loved one accountable and limit their substance use. Having your words completely ready when it’s time for you to speak to the addict about their problem will provide you with extra confidence as you address the impact it has caused. Writing an intervention letter doesn’t have to be hard as long as you stay honest with your feelings for a healthy relationship in the long term!
