Drug Abuse Intervention
How to Hold a Successful Crystal Meth Intervention
Crystal meth interventions are some of the most difficult to perform because of the volatile behavior of meth addicts. It is not uncommon for people to think that the crystal meth abuser is actually suffering from mental illness, which makes accurate meth addiction treatment more challenging. Because of the behavior associated with using meth, it is extremely important that a crystal meth intervention specialist be brought in to handle the assessment and the intervention itself.
Almost every time Family First Intervention performs a crystal meth intervention, we find that the behavior of the crystal meth addict ends up being a side effect of the drug use. Bipolar disorder, manic depression and schizophrenia are some of the most common misdiagnoses doctors and psychiatrists make with this addiction.
In almost every case, the person has been incorrectly evaluated, and after several weeks or months in treatment, the mental illness that was originally thought to be there has disappeared. Like all other abused drugs, crystal meth is an escape from uncomfortable feelings or situations that the abuser chooses to avoid by using such a mind-altering substance.
What Usually Happens in a Crystal Meth Intervention
Because of the seriousness of crystal meth addiction, it is extremely important that the family enlist the services of a professional interventionist for meth addiction help. A crystal meth intervention can last as long as 10-12 hours. This is because of the constant mind changing of the meth abuser and the fact he or she often thinks of the intervention counselor as a law enforcement agent there to make an arrest, rather than as a counselor there to help.
Paranoia, irrational thoughts, aggression, inability to think logically, and violence are just a few of the behaviors a family can expect to encounter when confronting a meth addict without the assistance of a professional. It is important that no family try to intervene with a meth addict without the guidance and presence of a crystal meth intervention counselor.
Dire Consequences if a Crystal Meth Intervention Isn’t Held
Crystal meth addicts almost never just wake up one day and stop using. Because of the side effects of meth addiction noted above, it is important for the family to take the initiative to reach out to a professional interventionist for meth addiction help. If the family neglects to intervene with the meth addict, he or she will surely face an intervention down the line on someone else’s terms.
Crystal meth addicts almost always end up in legal trouble due to the behavior and lifestyle associated with the drug. Prisons and county jails are overcrowded with all types of meth abusers, from simple possession to those who manufactured the drug.
Crystal meth is so hazardous to the human body, as well as to the environment, that when a meth lab is busted, the contents have to be removed by professionals in hazmat suits. The chemicals in crystal meth actually put holes in the brain, and the longer meth users abuse the drug, the more likely they are to develop meth psychosis, which is said by many to be irreversible.
The reality is almost all families could sidestep these negative consequences by having a crystal meth intervention that coaxes the individual to undergo crystal meth addiction treatment on the family’s terms – instead of on someone else’s, such as law enforcement officers.
Holding a crystal meth intervention with your loved one can help you avoid many of the terrible repercussions that eventually descend on meth addicts, such as jail, mental institutions and, even, death.
“The most formidable challenge we professionals face is families not accepting our suggested solutions. Rather, they only hear us challenging theirs. Interventions are as much about families letting go of old ideas as they are about being open to new ones. Before a family can do something about the problem, they must stop allowing the problem to persist. These same thoughts and principles apply to your loved one in need of help.”
Mike Loverde, MHS, CIP
How We Provide Meth Addiction Help
Families must remember that meth addiction is not the family’s fault. Not confronting the addiction, however, and avoiding crystal meth intervention, is.
Family First Intervention does not put pressure on the family because we understand the complexity and severity of meth addiction and the toll it takes on those close to it. Our crystal meth intervention program helps families confront the situation and bring their loved ones to formal meth addiction treatment, rather than sitting back and waiting.
Of all the hard drugs abused today, meth by far does some of the most long-term damage to the brain. Most of the time, this damage occurs when the family waits too long to hold a crystal meth intervention. By the time we arrive, their loved one is at a stage of meth psychosis that may not be reversible. Families are left with asking themselves what went wrong and what else they could have done.
Don’t let your loved one’s meth addiction get to this point! Call Family First Intervention for professional meth addiction help before the problem spirals out of control.
