HealthyPlusno3Jan5 - Flipbook - Page 8
INTERVENTION
Lived experience
changes lives
I
f someone you love is struggling with a
substance use disorder (SUD), the first thing you
should know is you are not alone. An estimated
20 million Americans have a SUD. Which means
there are many millions more family, friends and
even employers who are contending with the same
emotions you may be feeling.
“Anxiety, fear, concern, a sense of being helpless
or even lost … this is how people often describe
their feelings surrounding loving someone with a
SUD,” says Ralph Bennett, Emergency Department
Supervisor and Recovery House Project Coordinator
at the Turning Point Center in Bennington. “By the
time a family member or friend reaches out to us,
their sense of frustration is often overwhelming.
One of the first things I do is share the three Cs
of Al-Anon, a support group for the loved ones of
alcoholics, which really applies to all SUDs: I didn’t
cause it, I can’t control it, and I can’t cure it. Then
we talk about what can be done.”
Understanding intervention
While the ideal path to recovery begins with an
individual recognizing they have a problem and
seeking help, that’s rarely how SUD treatment
unfolds. A more likely scenario, says Bennett, is
an intervention.
A structured conversation between loved ones
and an individual struggling with a SUD, an
intervention can take place between the individual
and one person or, more commonly, a group of
concerned family members and friends who come
together to openly and honestly to express their
6 | HEALTHY+ | WINTER –SPRING 2023
You
are not
alone.
concerns about the SUD and its impact. The aim is
to help the individual with the SUD to recognize
how their actions are impacting their life and
relationships, the lives of others, and to offer a way
out. But as Bennett emphasizes, “There’s a lot more
to an intervention than coming together to talk.”
Planning for success
To be successful, an intervention must be backed
up with some considered planning.
“The goal of an intervention is to get the person
help,” says Bennett. “But you need to understand
what’s involved in that undertaking. You can’t
just drop them off at the doorstep of a rehab on a
Tuesday night.”
The first step in readying someone for treatment
is getting a medical clearance. This can be
accomplished at the Emergency Department.
Depending upon the individual’s condition, they
may need to be hospitalized for a few days to
see them through withdrawals or to improve
their overall health. Alternatively, they may be
prescribed “comfort drugs” to help them manage
withdrawal while waiting for an opening at a
treatment facility.
“It really falls to the family or friends conducting
the intervention to do the necessary prep work,
including figuring out where the individual will go
for treatment,” says Bennett. “You also need to be
clear about all the details including who is going
to drive them to the ER, with whom will they stay
with if they can’t get into a facility immediately,
and so on. The last thing you want is to get