Arizona Interventions

Steps in an Arizona Intervention

Are you thinking about an Arizona intervention for your loved one? If someone you care about has a problem with substance abuse and their behavior has gotten out of control, you may be thinking about taking this step. No one starts taking drugs or using alcohol with the end goal of becoming an addict. Unfortunately, once someone starts on this slippery slope, they may not be able to stop the behavior. An intervention may be needed to get them the help they need.

Planning an Intervention

If you care about someone with a substance abuse issue, your first step should be to plan the Arizona intervention. You may not want to make your loved one feel uncomfortable, but waiting until they feel, “ready” to seek help or reach “rock bottom” before taking action is not the best way to approach the situation. The longer the addiction is allowed to continue untreated, the stronger it will become.

Steps to Follow in an Arizona Intervention

Once you contact a professional interventionist, they will guide you and your family through a series of specific steps.

• Pre-intervention. This is the step where the family and friends of the addict get ready to hold the intervention. They learn about this option to decide whether it is the right step for them and their loved one.

• Preparing for the Intervention. At this point, the interventionist meets with the family and friends to discuss the day of the intervention. It includes details about what will be discussed with the addict during the meeting (including what not to say), having arrangements made with a treatment facility in advance and packing a bag so that the addict can leave immediately from the intervention.

• During the Intervention, your interventionist will be on hand to guide your family through the experience. They are present to keep the conversation between the family and your loved one flowing. The interventionist helps to ensure that the Arizona intervention doesn’t turn into an experience where the family starts to blame the addict for their disease or try to make them feel ashamed because they need help. Instead, the addicted person should voluntarily agree to seek help because they want to change their life for the better as a result of this process.

• Following the Intervention, the interventionist will escort the addict to the treatment facility if they have agreed to seek help. If not, the interventionist will provide support to the family as they implement the promises they have made to their addicted loved one if the addict decided not to seek treatment. These may include no longer providing financial support or a place to stay, etc.

Even if the intervention is not initially successful, there is always hope that the addict may choose to seek help in the days and weeks after the conversation with the family.

How Many People in Arizona Need Intervention Help?

There are hundreds of thousands of people in Arizona with drug or alcohol problems that are in need of help. Only a small percentage of them actually receive it. There are approximately 158,000 people aged 12 or older in Arizona who are dependent on or abuse drugs but are not receiving any form of treatment. In contrast, only 28,000 do enroll in some type of program, which is just 15%.

Likewise, only about 10% of people in Arizona dependent on or abusing alcohol get the help they need, which is equal to 44,000 people. This leaves about 496,000 people who continue without the treatment they need.

The best ways to bridge this treatment gap include continuing to make treatment programs more accessible and working with various forms of interventions to help steer them in the right direction.