Undeniably, alcoholism and drug addiction not only affects the suffering individual; but it also seriously damages those people closest to them, particularly their family members and friends. Addiction is a serious chronic disease. More often than not it is the family members that are left trying to desperately stop the downward spiral of a dependence on alcohol or drugs. Family members have often decided to make a plea for help and appeal for change in what commonly referred to as an intervention.
 
The word “intervention” in an alcohol and drug treatment context is used to describe a meeting in which a person with an alcohol dependence or drug addiction problem is confronted by friends and family members in a final plea for help with their addiction. The intervention is an organized meeting coordinated by family members in conjunction with friends, significant others, mental health professionals, pastors, or a drug treatment provider.

The participants gather to discuss their loved one and the impact of the disease in what is also known as a pre-intervention meeting. The purpose of the intervention gathering is not only to develop a plan for obtaining help for alcoholism or drug addiction, but also to offer support to the addict.  Participants go around the room and share statements of the numerous ways in which family alcoholism or drug addiction has affected their lives.

An intervention can set the stage for awareness about the seriousness of alcoholism or drug addiction and the negative impact on everyone involved. It is important to realize that alcoholics and addicts may be defensive and resistant to help. For this reason, mental health professionals and treatment providers can assist in counseling the individual. An intervention can also provide the much needed structure and resources for getting help.

You are not alone we can help! If you or a loved one needs help we urge you to please call Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles now 800-996-1051 or contact us here.


Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

It’s quite normal for someone entering alcohol treatment to show signs of depression.  The sad and hopeless feelings that are associated with alcohol dependence tend to be a driving force behind the disease.  Major depression can also be a co-occurring disorder with alcoholism, which adds a need for mental health treatment.

In these cases, the problem with providing effective treatment is discovering which disorder is primary in each new patient.  It’s much like the chicken-and-egg syndrome of which came first.  It is important to know if the mental health disorder brought on alcohol dependence, or if drinking behaviors led to a downward spiral of hopelessness and despair.

Psychological assessments are taken on patients in alcohol treatment at Tarzana Treatment Centers as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare.  In many cases, this is completed before the patient discharges from alcohol detox.  This gives our counselors and mental health professionals the ability to prepare treatment plans that target both disorders, with emphasis on the primary one.

The excerpt below is from an article posted on the Addiction Technology Transfer Network website.  The full article reviews the latest studies on major depression and alcohol dependence along with information from previous studies.  It includes some information that may be of interest to those with alcoholism in the family.

If you or a loved one is in need of alcohol treatment, please call us at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

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Major depression (MD) and alcohol dependence (AD) co-occur in individuals and within families at higher rates than expected by chance. This study looked at how mood-related drinking motives may explain the overlapping familial risk for MD and AD. Findings suggest that individuals with strong mood-related drinking motives, especially those based on negative feelings, may be vulnerable to developing both MD and AD.

Results will be published in the August issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

“Although the frequent co-occurrence of AD and MD is widely recognized, the association between the disorders works differently for different people,” explained Kelly Young-Wolff, whose master’s thesis provided the stimulus for the study. “There are likely multiple mechanisms that result in the disorders co-occurring, for example, having MD increases the risk to develop AD, having AD increases the risk to develop MD; and causal factors – such as genetic risk or social circumstances – also contribute to developing both disorders.”

-- Source: http://www.attcnetwork.org/explore/priorityareas/science/tools/asmeDetails.asp?ID=615 --

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles makes a daily effort to find treatment news articles that we can share with our readers in the alcohol and drug treatment community.  The external content was found among other articles of equal informational and educational quality.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County and Orange County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley, and in Santa Ana.

April, 2009 marks the 22nd year of Alcohol Awareness Month.  

Tarzana Treatment Centers is participating with a series of articles meant to inform and educate the general public about alcohol abuse, dependence and treatment.  Considering that over 21 million Americans meet the criteria for alcohol abuse and over 53 million admit to past-month binge drinking, not to mention the many loved ones affected by each, our efforts are worthwhile.

When children grow up in a household with alcoholism or addiction, they are at higher risk of abusing alcohol or drugs in adolescence.  This can be due to genetic or environmental factors.

The abuse suffered by children of alcoholics is at least emotional, and at worst can include physical or sexual abuse.  Growing up in this environment, by the time the child reaches adolescence alcohol or drugs can be seen as a “normal” escape from reality.  Alcohol or drug abuse may become a habit used to temporarily forget the pain of child abuse, or even as a tool of revenge.

A family history of alcoholism or addiction may be passed on to a child through genes.  If that child drinks or uses drugs, just one experience could trigger the disease.  Any parent that engages in heavy drinking or drug use, or is aware of a family history, needs to seriously consider this fact.  These parents should attend alcohol and drug education for the family to prevent teen alcohol and drug abuse.

The following is from a brochure by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.  It offers important information for families with alcoholism or drug addiction.

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Alcohol and Drug Abuse Hurts Everyone in the Family

Dependence on alcohol and drugs is our most serious national public health problem. It is prevalent among rich and poor, in all regions of the country, and all ethnic and social groups.

Millions of Americans misuse or are dependent on alcohol or drugs.  Most of them have families who suffer the consequences, often serious, of living with this illness. If there is alcohol or drug dependence in your family, remember you are not alone.

Most individuals who abuse alcohol or drugs have jobs and are productive members of society creating a false hope in the family that “it’s not that bad.”

The problem is that addiction tends to worsen over time, hurting both the addicted person and all the family members. It is especially damaging to young children and adolescents.

People with this illness really may believe that they drink normally or that “everyone” takes drugs. These false beliefs are called denial; this denial is a part of the illness.

It Doesn’t Have to be That Way

Drug or alcohol dependence disorders are medical conditions that can be effectively treated. Millions of Americans and their families are in healthy recovery from this disease.

If someone close to you misuses alcohol or drugs, the first step is to be honest about the problem and to seek help for yourself, your family, and your loved one.

Treatment can occur in a variety of settings, in many different forms, and for different lengths of time. Stopping the alcohol or drug use is the first step to recovery, and most people need help to stop. Often a person with alcohol or drug dependence will need treatment provided by professionals just as with other diseases. Your doctor may be able to guide you.

-- Source: http://www.csat.samhsa.gov/NACOA/families.pdf --

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles makes a daily effort to find treatment news articles that we can share with our readers in the alcohol and drug treatment community.  The external content was found among other articles of equal informational and educational quality.