5 Signs that a Person Needs Intervention

If your friend or loved one has a substance abuse issue, how far does it get before you know that it is time to intervene? This may be a difficult approach, since you may be scared of offending them or hurting the relationship, but interventions are for their own good. How do you know when it’s time?

1. It Interferes with their Family

According to NIDA, over time you may see your friend’s behavior interfering with the functioning within their family, the workplace, and the broader community overall. Once their addiction begins to impact such important aspects of their life, such as within the family, an intervention may be necessary to get them back on track.

It is important to step in before they completely ruin any family structure or break connections, and if they have already passed this point, then it is definitely time for an intervention.

2. It Impedes them at Work

Addiction can cause a drastic change in mood and personality.

The other place where an addiction may show serious consequences is in the workplace. If the addict continues to let their addiction impede their work effort or results, this could consequently end up with them losing their job. An intervention should occur as soon as it begins to be a problem in the workplace, so that they may still hold on to their job after recovery.

3. The Addiction Effects their Mood or Personality

Do they seem like a completely different person now? That could be due to the chemical changes in their brain that are brought on by the addiction. If your friend or loved one begins to show signs of depression or has changed personalities drastically, it may be time for an intervention in order to restore them to their former self.

This process may take a long time, and they could still experience some of the effects on their mood for a while, but it isn’t safe to let them continue their substance abuse when it has such drastic effects.

4. They Say They Will Recover but Take No Measures to do so

Perhaps the individual has promised you that they are doing what they can, but you can’t see evidence of any changes or improvement in their life. It may be time then to step in and put a little emphasis on the situation, and perhaps provide accountability to their recovery so that you can monitor their progress and keep them on track.

Living with a Loved One Suffering from a Substance Abuse Disorder

5. Their Addiction is Life-Threatening

If all the other warning signs have passed without notice, and it is now evident that continued substance abuse could endanger the individual’s life, then intervention is absolutely necessary. In these cases, NCBI suggests that brief interventions be linked with a referral to treatment options and therapy, as the individual may not be able to stop the addiction completely on their own.

If you or a loved one are facing addiction and have any questions or concerns, simply call 800-487-1890 (Who Answers?) to speak with a caring specialist who can walk you through the next steps.