Interventions

Interventions break the cycle

Intervention begins the process of recovery by uniting loved-ones through freeing them of responsibility and facing the self-destructive individual with his or her actions, their consequences and what effect the disease has on others. Intervention breaks the cycle of suffering, educates and gives people back the lives they lost.

Plenty of intervention styles exist. Those most prevalent include the Johnson Model, the Family Systems Model and, most recently, the AiR Model. Choosing which type fits your situation is the first step toward making intervention a part of your family’s healing process.

The Johnson Institute Model was the first to recognize that addicts do not have to lose everything and hit “rock bottom” in order to get help. By confronting their loved-ones with their negative behavior, how it affects each person and the consequences of his or her actions, the Johnson Model’s intervention hopes to convince the individual to accept help, but does not focus on the effects of the problem on the family caught in its destruction.

The Family Systems Model considers the needs of families affected by self-destructive behavior. It supports the family through counseling, empowers them to free themselves of the disease’s effect and breaks the cycle. While effective in addressing the needs of families, its “family first” approach does not necessarily address the individual swiftly, and sometimes the process of counseling can last weeks.

The AiR Model brings the best aspects of both its predecessors together to create a comprehensive, fast-acting and compassionate process. Working with the family to end the pain and educate each person on the disease, their role in the recovery process and how to stop being negatively affected, AiR also understands the necessity for quick and decisive action. From the decision to intervene until even after treatment, the AiR Model sees self-destructive behavior as a time bomb and works to “raise the bottom”: the earlier help can be received, the less damage caused.

The intervention’s aim focuses on ending the cycle of the behavior, from negative actions to negative responses that help these actions continue. The individual may or may not accept the help offered, but by freeing the people caught in the destruction of one person, everyone begins living his or her life again free of the disease. Many times this acts as a wakeup call to the individual—without others to enable these actions, they find little recourse to continue. In the end, most do accept help.

AiR interventions change the mindsets of all involved and create a happier, healthier family.

Make the call today if you think a loved one would benefit from AiR’s intervention services.