Interventions for Soldiers and Veterans

Military personnel, veterans and families of soldiers must deal with the aftermath of traumatic events such as combat exposure, multiple long deployments and physical injury. Death and tragedy are unfortunately common experiences for military personnel, and the consequences of military experience can be anything but rewarding for some soldiers and veterans. The sights they have seen, places they have traveled and loneliness they have felt can lead to physical and psychological damage. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are common psychological disorders that are found in active members of the military and in veterans. Flashbacks including reoccurring images and sounds can haunt a person and lead to sleepless nights, hallucinations, delirium, paranoia, anxiety or depression. Soldiers and vets may turn to drugs or alcohol to relieve the pain, escape from reality or cope with tragedy trauma and loss.

Is Substance Abuse Common Among Soldiers and Veterans?

The Department of Defense’s Survey of Health Related Behaviors reveals that prescription drug abuse and heavy alcohol use has become a significant problem among active soldiers, returning soldiers and veterans. Prescription drug abuse rates have almost tripled from 2005 to 2008, it is estimated that 27 percent of soldiers who have returned home are at risk for alcohol abuse. Mental illnesses such as PTSD, TBI and depression are reported to affect close to 20 percent of active military personnel and 42 percent of soldiers who have returned home. These mental health conditions can trigger substance abuse problems. When someone is dealing with both a mental health concern and substance abuse, the results can be fatal. Behavior may be erratic, hostile, aggressive and unwarranted. Abuse, fighting, arguments, violence and suicide are all possible for a soldier who is dealing with co-occurring disorders. The Department of Defense’s survey shows that drug or alcohol use was involved in 30 percent of the Army’s suicide deaths from 2003 to 2009. Drugs or alcohol were also found in more than 45 percent of non-fatal suicide attempts from 2005 to 2009.

Getting a Soldier or Veteran into Rehab through an Intervention

Substance abuse and mental health disorders affect each soldier and his or her family differently. However without proper treatment both addiction and mental health issues will progress. They perpetuate one another and lead to a number of severe consequences to one’s physical and psychological health. The earlier a soldier or veteran finds help, the better the chances are that he or she will find lasting benefit from treatment. Getting a soldier or vet into addiction recovery treatment can be difficult. Families may be frightened or unsure of how to approach the subject. The soldier or vet may have shown aggression, hostility or denial at earlier suggestions of finding help or reducing drug or alcohol use. However these thoughts, actions and feelings are not controlled by the subject. He or she is a victim to the disorder or addiction and may need caring family and friends to gently push him or her into treatment. This is why an intervention may be the best route for finding help. Soldiers are able to see how their disease is affecting their loved ones, and they may be motivated to get help. Staging an intervention is a complex process, and families or friends should get help from a professional interventionists to make sure the event runs smoothly and is as effective as possible.

Help for Families Affected by a Soldier’s Substance Abuse

Families or loved ones of a soldier or veteran may also reap the effects of combat, deployment and injury. When getting help for a loved one, families and friends may need treatment too. Quality treatment programs will offer individual or family counseling and therapy for everyone who has been affected by the situation.

Stage an Intervention

If a loved one has returned home and is facing a mental health and/or substance abuse issues, please get help now. The longer you wait, the more devastating the consequences become. Call our toll-free helpline to get information on interventions, treatment programs and recovery services. We are here 24 hours a day to answer any questions you may have. Don’t risk losing a life that means so much to you. Please get help now.

How to Avoid Anger during an Intervention

Addiction can create a lot of friction and pain between addicts and their loved ones. When asked to confront an addict through an intervention, family and friends may not know where to begin. What should they say, how should they say it? The situation can be extremely emotional, and intervention participants may feel the need to express these emotions when speaking to the addict. One of these emotions may certainly be anger, and this is a completely natural reaction to have. When people are hurt or taken advantage of, they may want to respond aggressively in order to defend themselves. However, anger is not something that should be used when addressing an addict in an intervention.

Friends and family must understand that the addict is no longer in control of her thoughts, feelings and behaviors; the addiction is in control. While the addict may have done or said things that are unacceptable, it was never her intent. Participants must keep this in mind, and understand that anger will only push the addict further away. If there is any chance of getting the addict into treatment, she must feel loved and supported by her friends and family. Anger will only cause the addict to feel alone, judged and under attack. Participants must control their anger while speaking to the addict or they should not be present.

How Do I Make an Intervention Run Smoothly?

One factor of an effective intervention is preparation. You cannot prepare enough. Every last detail of the intervention should be planned out ahead of time. Whoever wants to speak should always write out ahead of time what he wants to say, no matter what. The group should include only a small number of the addict’s closes friends and confidants (no larger than 10) and they must all be on the same page. The goal of the intervention is to get the addict into treatment and there is no room for excuses. Yes, an intervention can be nerve-racking, intense and even scary. To ensure that the intervention runs smoothly, most families hire an intervention specialist.

Ways to Keep Your Cool during an Intervention

If you feel overwhelmed with your emotions, you might try the following to help keep your anger under control:

• Focus on the big picture
• Focus on the positive
• Forgive
• De-stress
• Learn and practice relaxation techniques

Do I Need Professional Intervention Help?

If you are considering having an intervention for a loved one you will want to do it right; an intervention gone wrong may result in the addict not getting the treatment help that she so desperately needs. To avoid this, you can get help from the experts in the field. Call our toll-free helpline today to speak with a rehab professional who can answer your questions about staging an intervention and can also connect you to an intervention specialist. Whether you are looking for information or would like to meet with a specialist who can assist you through this process, we can help. We are here 24 hours a day to assist you with your addiction recovery needs. Your call is free and it could be the catalyst to your loved one’s recovery. What are you waiting for? Call us today.

How to Safely Stage an Intervention

An intervention is your opportunity to help an addicted loved one come to terms with the knowledge that his or her drug or alcohol use is out of control. Without proper planning an intervention can become unpredictable or even dangerous.

Hiring an Intervention Professional to Ensure Safety

Before staging an intervention consult with professional interventionists who will be able to advise you on the process. The following are the benefits of hiring an interventionist:

• You will receive access to intervention resources
• You will receive information and guidance about the best types of interventions
• You will receive wisdom and experience from someone who has been through several interventions
• You will understand what your role in the intervention is and will be able to express to your friend or family member how much you care about him or her
• You will understand what reactions to expect from your addicted loved one

Learning how to do an intervention is not something that can be fully learned by reading a book or a website. It takes a thorough understanding of the entire process that can generally only be imparted to you by an experienced interventionist.

Safety Tips for Conducting an Intervention

As a part of learning how to plan an intervention, you will learn about important safety procedures such as the following:

• Reconsider including children or even adolescents in the intervention due to the language that could be used and the erratic behavior that may be seen in an individual being confronted with his or her addiction
• If your addicted family member has a history of domestic abuse then you may want to include friends and relatives that can help diffuse the situation should it become violent

A safe drug or alcohol intervention requires an understanding of the process.

Getting Help for Safe Interventions

We can connect you with experienced and knowledgeable interventionists who can help you to learn how to plan an intervention that runs smoothly and accomplishes its goals. Call our toll-free helpline so that we can help you locate reputable and licensed interventionists, addiction professionals and rehab services. We can also offer drug and alcohol rehab information that will help you plan for your loved one’s recovery needs. Calls are confidential, and we are here to talk 24 hours a day. Let us help you get your loved one on the path to sobriety.

How an Interventionist Can Help Your Family

Staging an intervention is a great opportunity for your addicted family member to face her addiction and see how it impacts her family. Planning a family intervention without calling on professionals can be a bad idea, especially if you have never attended or staged an intervention. When you hire an interventionist you get access to a wealth of knowledge, intervention help, and incredible resources that simply cannot be learned by reading a book or article online.

How Interventionists Work

The majority of interventionists have orchestrated a successful intervention. While the plans for interventions are similar, they will also be customized to meet the unique needs that your loved one has. Interventionists do the following:

• Your interventionist will get a bit of background information about your family member in order to develop an idea about his personality and the severity of the addiction.
• Then interventionists will develop a customized plan for this intervention.
• You will learn the basics of how to do an intervention, as well as what could be expected during the process.
• You will receive family meetings, planning assistance and more.
• During both the planning stages and the actual intervention, you will have the full support and help of the interventionist that you hired.

The Goal of an Addiction Intervention

Remember that an intervention’s sole purpose is to help your addicted family member recognize that she needs help. Interventions are not the following:

• An intervention is not an opportunity to scream and otherwise express displeasure for your family member.
• An intervention is not meant as a chance to deal out blame.
• An intervention is not a chance to judge your family member for his addiction. Remember that addiction can happen to anyone at any point in time.

An intervention is a method of demonstrating to your family member how her addictive behavior is damaging the family as a whole. As a general rule of thumb, kids under the age of 15 shouldn’t be included in the intervention due to the sensitive topics being discussed.

Addiction Intervention Help

Once you have conducted an intervention, it is then time to get your family member into a rehab facility. Give our knowledgeable counselors a call so that they can confidentially provide you with the intervention help that you and your loved one need.

We can provide you with a list of intervention resources and referrals to point you in the right direction for your intervention planning. When you stage a rehab intervention you are giving your addicted family member and your family as a whole the opportunity to seek out help that can transform your lives back into something that you recognize.

Calls are toll free and completely confidential to our 24 hour helpline. Ask us how we can make rehab possible and affordable for you and your family.

When Is the Right Time for an Intervention?

When someone you care about—a family member, friend, coworker or partner—is in the middle of an active addiction, how do you know when to stage an intervention? What is the best time to plan an intervention, and how can you make sure your intervention is successful?

Hundreds and thousands of people are affected by addiction every day. You don’t have to do this alone. Learn more about the intervention process and let us help you plan a successful and targeted intervention for the person you care about.

What Is an Intervention?

An intervention is a loving and carefully planned confrontation that brings friends and family together to help a person acknowledge an addiction problem. Interventions conclude with an offer of treatment for your loved one and are sometimes assisted by intervention specialists, clergy or a counselor. It is important that your intervention include the following:

• A preplanned and prearranged call to treatment
• Specific examples of addiction related behaviors and their impact on loved ones
• Specific and reasonable consequences of not seeking treatment

Signs That It Is Time for an Intervention

You may be hesitating to stage an intervention, but it can save your loved one’s life. The following are some key signs that it is time to consult someone about an intervention:

• Your loved one seems like he or she cannot stop once drug or alcohol use begins. Once the person is using, it seems as if the substance abuse takes over completely.
• The person continues to use even when substance use has caused serious life problems such as arrest, illness or job or relationship loss.
• Your loved one is in denial about addiction and may become defensive or angry when confronted.
• In other instances, your loved one may admit there is a problem and resolves to stop without success.
• You find yourself enabling your loved one. Enabling is a clear indication that you are in over your head and need to seek assistance. We can help.

Find Family Rehabilitation and Family Intervention Help Now

If you or your family is ready to make a change, give us a call. Our 24 hour, toll-free helpline is staffed by experienced and knowledgeable recovery professionals who can to help you learn more about planning an intervention, arranging detox, therapy and rehab options. We will take the time to work with you to find the most effective, affordable and successful treatment for your loved one. We can even help you arrange insurance coverage for rehab treatment or find an intervention assistant to help you every step of the way. All calls are confidential and free to you. There is hope for a happier future. Call now.

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