Interventions: do they work?

[beena]

SWIM saw an episode of a programme called 'Intervention' recently on Youtube and just wondered if anyone on D.F. has been the subject of an intervention by friends and family to try and stop them using/get help.
If so, how did it happen and what happened exactly? Did it work?
Also, SWIM wondered if this was an American thing? ... SWIM has not heard of this practice in the UK and wondered if that was because it was peculiar to the US only?

[ScorpioSunshine]

Swim has never been the recipient of an intervention, but Swim is a regular watcher of the show Intervention. The stories are heart-wrenching, and they cover all sorts of addictions.

In America, we have intervention specialists, but I am not sure how recent that specialty is. I've heard of interventions for as long as I can remember.

[teddybearpicnics]

swim was never in an actual intervention, but swim was proposed with an ultimatum. swims parents found something on the internet called :rational recovery: and printed it out and gave it to him. they proposed that he made a promise to stop using that day, or that he was no longer a part of the family. swim accepted the promise, and was clean for a month, then swims girl proposed getting high, swim accepted. it has been 2 weeks now and swim is just now getting back on the sober track today. so my answer to swiy's question, is that yes that they will work only if you want them to. and that nothing will stop a user from using if there's a will there's a way. as far as being us exclusive, swim does not know. he would like to know more about that though because it is cooky the things americans do.
.teddy

[superdupernaut]

Originally Posted by teddybearpicnics

swim was never in an actual intervention, but swim was proposed with an ultimatum. swims parents found something on the internet called :rational recovery: and printed it out and gave it to him. they proposed that he made a promise to stop using that day, or that he was no longer a part of the family.

Good god that's rough. Having ones own family threaten to disown him...

[chillinwill]

Red Rock has only had 1 intervention in his past and it played out just like the TV show Intervention. Everyone that really cared about Red Rock (His family, grandparents, couple of friends, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc) gathered at his house where he was living with his parents and demanded that he enter into a treatment facility or he will be out on his ass in the cold with no financial support from parents. Red Rock knew better than to say no to that for a couple of reasons, mainly, he knew he couldn't survive with him only being 19 at the time and 2nd, he was tired if shooting heroin and living that lifestyle.

Needless to say, that treatment facility never did work out but at least he learned a few things from there and now, 6 treatment centers later, he has finally gotten clean

[dyingtomorrow]

I can't even tell you how fucking pissed I'd be if people tried to intervention me. It definitely wouldn't go like they planned.

[beena]

One thing SWIM notices is that when her drug use is at it's worse she tends to voluntarily cut herself off from family and friends anyway. Either that or she just doesn't realise how much time goes buy without her speaking to them so SWIM doesn't think a big family intervention would work for her nor the threat of being 'cut off'. Personally speaking, if it was SWIMs kid and they were taking drugs there's no way SWIM would cut them off or disown them.

[Junkhead23]

If they tried an intervention with SWIM it wouldn't work.

It turns out unconditional love isn't so unconditional

[teddybearpicnics]

Originally Posted by superdupernaut

Good god that's rough. Having ones own family threaten to disown him...

yeah...swim just agreed to it, and did actually get clean for about a month but then messed up and it's been a rocky road ever since, which has only been about 3 weeks, about half has been on subs the other half has been using....swims parents try to threaten him but swim doesn't think that they could actually throw him out...because they don't believe in NA. they think it babies people and that being on dope is a choice and that they would pay for the suboxone to get off it, but that it's a conscious choice and not a disease. and swim agrees. it's just that addicted demon in your head keeps talking to you, even if swim says ::i will never use again:: the monster in my head laughs and says, ::yes you will you're such a liar:: but swim is thinking that maybe he needs a vacation to get babied and meals prepared 3 times a day, and not having to work for a month.....oh man that just sounds SO much fun