How to Conduct an Intervention

People participate in an intervention.

The first step every recovering addict must take in recovery is acknowledging that they have a drug problem. It can be difficult watching your loved one struggle with addiction. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly half of Americans have a friend or family member who’s struggled with drug addiction. Oftentimes, people may want to help their loved one, but don’t know how. In this article, you’ll learn how to conduct an intervention effectively to help support your loved one’s recovery journey. 

At Outpatient LA, we offer a wide range of addiction treatment to ensure you receive the personalized care you need to maintain your sobriety. At our outpatient drug rehab, we understand that each patient’s recovery needs are different. This is why we provide patients with tailored care to ensure you receive the unique care you need to lead a healthier life. Contact us today to learn more about how we can best support your unique recovery journey. 

People participate in an intervention.

5 Things to Do During an Intervention

Interventions, done right, can be an essential turning point in getting your loved one the professional support they need to overcome their addiction. Below are several things to keep in mind on how to conduct an intervention.

Set a Plan

First, it’s critical to set a plan, or a specific time, place, and set of close individuals to be at the intervention. The last thing you want to do is confront your loved one out of nowhere in a public setting about their drug addiction.

Be Open and Judgment-Free

Next, be open, judgment-free, and actively listen to your loved one during the intervention. This will help you avoid being confrontational and allow the individual struggling with addiction to feel seen and heard. 

Set Boundaries

It’s also critical to set healthy boundaries during an intervention. Boundaries protect your well-being, while also ensuring you are not accidentally enabling an individual’s addiction. For example, if you periodically loan money to an individual because they do not have a job, it’s critical to cut off financially supporting that individual, as they likely are using a portion of the money to fuel their addiction. 

Have a Plan to Talk About Professional Help

One of the primary aims of an intervention is to work toward getting your loved one to seek professional treatment to help them overcome their addiction. Therefore, be sure to express your support in helping them seek professional care.

Express Your Love for the Individual

Finally, it’s essential to express your love and concern for the individual struggling with addiction. This not only shows your loved one that you care for them, but also can help make the intervention feel less confrontational. 

Common Things to Avoid During an Intervention 

Now that you know how to conduct an intervention effectively, it’s also critical to understand what not to do during an intervention. Below are several points on what not to do during an intervention.

  • Do not confront the individual about their drug problem.
  • Do not unexpectedly confront an individual out of nowhere, in public, or among a group of people.
  • Avoid using a judgmental tone.
  • Avoid being unprepared. Do your research about addiction and potential treatment resources before the intervention. 
  • If the individual denies seeking treatment after the intervention, avoid getting angry. It’s critical to offer support, whether the individual acknowledges they have a drug problem or not. 

Help Is Available 

Now you know more about how to conduct an intervention so you can effectively express your concerns to your loved one. Interventions, done right, can play a critical role in helping your loved one acknowledge that they have an addiction and need support to get sober. It’s essential to remember to be open and judgment-free during an intervention to express your concerns, rather than coming across as judgmental or confrontational. 

Outpatient LA is committed to helping patients achieve long-term sobriety. We understand that addiction recovery is a lifelong journey that can be filled with many ups and downs. Our experienced team of addiction specialists is here to provide you with the unique care you need to best support your recovery needs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your recovery needs. 

Do You Need Addiction Treatment?

A woman sits and wonders if she needs addiction treatment.

Millions of people struggle with drug addiction each year, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Unfortunately, many don’t receive the professional help that they need to overcome addiction. Left untreated, drug addiction can destroy your physical and mental health and fracture your relationships with loved ones. This is why it’s critical to seek professional help if you are struggling with addiction. In this article, we’ll review signs that you may need addiction treatment. 

Outpatient LA is a leading outpatient drug rehab in Los Angeles that is committed to helping clients safely and effectively achieve long-lasting sobriety. Each client’s journey to long-term recovery is different. That’s why we offer a wide range of substance abuse and mental health treatment options to ensure you receive the right kind of addiction treatment for your needs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your recovery journey.

Signs You Are Struggling with Addiction 

Have you been wondering if you need addiction treatment? Below are several signs you may be struggling with drug addiction and need to seek professional treatment. 

1. Inability to Stop Abusing Drugs

Sometimes, addiction can be tricky to spot. However, if you find that you are unable to stop abusing drugs, even when you attempt to get sober, this is a major sign you are struggling with addiction.

2. Withdrawal Symptoms

Next, if you experience withdrawal symptoms when you don’t use drugs consistently, then this is another sign you are struggling with addiction. As your body becomes adapted to consuming an addictive substance, it grows dependent upon the drug. This explains why you may experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when you stop abusing drugs. Your body has become so used to consuming the addictive substance that a failure to continue to fuel your addiction can cause uncomfortable symptoms like insomnia, irritability, nausea, tremors, and more.

3. Loss of Interest in Activities You Once Enjoyed

Another common sign you may be struggling with addiction is if you’ve lost interest in activities and hobbies you once enjoyed. Unfortunately, addiction can take hold of your entire life. So much so that you may start to lose joy in activities and relationships you once enjoyed and cherished. This is because when you struggle with addiction your thoughts become consumed with your drug addiction. And, as a result, you become less interested in other activities that bring you joy.

4. Engaging in Riskier Behavior Than Usual

If you find you are engaging in riskier behavior than usual, this is another common sign you may be struggling with an addiction and need to seek treatment. From ignoring personal and professional responsibilities to spending excessive amounts of money, addiction can cause you to engage in riskier and unhealthy behaviors that you wouldn’t otherwise have done if you weren’t under the influence.

5. Increased Tolerance

Last but not least, if you find you need to consume more and more of a substance to achieve a desired effect, this is another sign you are likely struggling with an addiction. As your body becomes used to consuming an addictive substance, your body grows a tolerance for the drug, and you need to consume more of that substance to achieve the same effect. 

Help Is Available 

Now you know more about how to tell if you need addiction treatment. If you are unable to stop abusing drugs and experiencing withdrawal symptoms, these are significant signs that point to addiction. If you or someone you know is battling addiction, it’s critical you seek professional help to break free from addiction once and for all. Addiction treatment offers a safe space for you to overcome your drug dependence and lead a healthier, happier life.

At Outpatient LA, our team is here to help you break free of addiction and achieve life-long sobriety. We offer individualized support to ensure you receive the tailored care you need to lead a healthier, happier quality life. Our outpatient drug and alcohol rehab offers a range of addiction treatment programs so you can receive the best possible care for your recovery needs. Ready to break free of addiction? Contact us today!

The Role of Therapy in Addiction Treatment

Therapy is effective in better managing mental illness symptoms. However, therapy in addiction treatment is also critical to help recovering individuals safely overcome addiction and maintain long-term sobriety. Addiction therapy plays several different roles in helping individuals effectively break free of addiction. Keep reading to learn more about the role of therapy in addiction treatment.

At Outpatient Los Angeles, we are a leading outpatient addiction treatment center that uses an individualized approach to help patients break free of addiction. We understand how debilitating addiction can be. Using a range of addiction treatments, our team is here to help you every step of the way so you can lead a healthier, happier life. Contact us today to start your road to recovery.   

Why Therapy in Addiction Treatment Is Important?

Addiction treatment is not just for safely detoxing and overcoming your addiction. Addiction treatment involves a wide variety of therapy approaches that can help you establish a healthier, happier life after treatment. Maintaining sobriety can be filled with many ups and downs; however, therapy in addiction treatment teaches you critical coping strategies and skills to help you maintain long-term sobriety. Below are several factors that explain the role of therapy in addiction treatment. 

Develop Coping Strategies to Maintain Your Sobriety

As briefly discussed above, therapy in addiction treatment helps individuals develop healthy coping strategies to maintain their sobriety long-term. Just because you detox and overcome your addiction doesn’t mean you’ll not experience old triggers and cravings to relapse. About 40-60% of recovering addicts relapse after receiving substance use disorder treatment. Therefore, addiction treatment therapies, both traditional and holistic, teach you healthy strategies to recognize triggers and reduce your risk of relapsing. 

Better Understand the Root Causes Of Your Addiction

While there aren’t sometimes clear causes to explain addiction or why someone has a more addictive tendency, therapy allows individuals time to better understand how or why they fell victim to addiction. And, as a result, work on those root causes to prevent them from relapsing. For example, if an individual was abusing drugs or alcohol to help relieve mental illness symptoms, that individual should seek mental health treatment to better manage those symptoms so they don’t fall back into abusing drugs to relieve their mental disorder symptoms. 

Develop Healthy Habits to Lead a Healthier Life

Therapy in addiction treatment can also consist of a range of holistic therapies like art therapy, music therapy, or outdoor-based therapies. Holistic therapies are not only helpful for progressing along your recovery journey but they can also be used when you transition back into your normal everyday life to help maintain your sobriety while practicing healthy habits. 

Rebuild Your Confidence and Sense of Identity

Therapy in addiction treatment also helps you rebuild your self-confidence and sense of identity that may have been fractured due to your addiction. Therapy gives you the ability to reflect on who you are and who you want to be once you become sober. Also, therapy gives you time to forgive yourself and apologize to others for your past, which gives you room to forge a new identity and better life for yourself and your loved ones as you progress on your road to recovery. 

Help Rebuild Relationships with Loved Ones

Finally, the role of therapy in addiction treatment is to also help rebuild relationships with loved ones that may have been fractured because of your addiction. Many addiction treatment centers have family therapy options where you can work towards meeting with your family and close friends and rebuilding those relationships. This is also critical in your sobriety journey as you can then lean on your loved ones for support as you progress along your road to recovery. 

Premier Los Angeles Addiction Treatment Center

Therapy in addiction treatment plays an important role in helping patients not just overcome addiction, but learn healthy coping strategies to achieve long-term sobriety. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, it’s critical you seek professional addiction treatment to help you achieve sobriety. 

Our team at Outpatient Los Angeles is here to help you every step of the way so you can take back control of your life. You should never feel too afraid to ask for help when it comes to leading a healthier life. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you regain control of your life.