When you're ready to take action to help someone with a substance abuse problem, you'll need support. Whether you find it through your spouse, your friends, a counselor, through faith or sheer determination, confronting this disease requires inner strength, understanding, and perseverance. When you act with strength, you'll increase your loved one's chances of recovery.

Your Approach to the Problem
If the person you want to help is an adult (a spouse, partner, or friend) the most effective approach is usually to be nonjudgmental, caring, and persistent. Your approach might run as follows:

Gather information:
Ask "What do you think about your substance use?"
Approaching the problem in a friendly, nonjudgmental way removes the burden of guilt that most abusers carry.

Express concern:
"I'm concerned about your health."
Knowing that someone is concerned helps the abuser acknowledge that the problem is real.

Provide specific feedback:
"Alcohol use is very common, but fewer than 1 in 10 people your age drink the amount you're drinking."
Or, "cocaine/methamphetamines can very quickly become addictive if used regularly."
Facts can be a powerful stimulus for the user to admit that their substance abuse is causing problems.

Express support:
"Quitting is difficult, but you're a strong person."
The denial impulse is so strong that abusers will often push you away when you try to get them to talk about it. Expressing support helps counteract this.

Offer help:
"Would you like information on how to cut down or quit?"
The best time to offer help is right after an abuser has admitted that there's a problem.

Know your local treatment options:
"There are many resources that can help. Here are two contacts."
You can find a Prometa treatment location near you, or you may call the Prometa Helpline toll free at 1-866-321-6558.

Reinforce self worth:
"Please think about your drinking/substance use, because there are people who care deeply about you."
The more a user understands they have a problem, the more they will need your support.

Assist with a plan:
"Let me help you make an appointment with an expert."
When the moment is right, be prepared with specific information.

Follow up:
"Let's schedule time together on a regular basis to monitor your success."
Taking an interest in the recovery process is key to avoiding a relapse.

Consider an intervention:
If, despite your best efforts, your loved one's substance abuse continues to get worse, you may consider an intervention.

How will you know if the time has come for an intervention?

Some key warning signs are:

Extreme risk taking: Behavior that puts your loved one or others at immediate risk of death or serious injury, such as overdosing, drunk driving, violence, or the threat of violence.

Risky behavior: Less immediate but still very significant  warning signs are behaviors such as nonviolent crime, unprotected sex with strangers, binge behavior, eating disorders, and mounting credit card debt.

Major life setbacks: Major incidents such as loss of a job, dropping out of school, divorce, loss of child custody, and bankruptcy often signal worsening disease.

Erratic behavior: Beginning or increasing behaviors such as suicide threats, shoplifting, asking for loans without explanation, unreliability, always being late, or sleeping during the daytime, may signal that the problem is getting worse.

Major deceptiveness: Lying about any of the above, including admitting problems but breaking promises to change, is a very important warning sign.

Deciding on an Intervention

Once you have made the decision to either strongly consider or proceed with an intervention, there are 5 key elements to success:

Have a Plan
To be successful, an intervention must provide an immediate plan of action if the abuser agrees to get help.

Recruit Others
To be effective, an intervention must include as many friends and family members as possible. If your loved one has a spouse or partner, this person's presence may be a deciding factor.

Be Supportive
An intervention is a time to show your loved one that you care about the person you've lost to the disease. Say how their problem has affected your relationship, but avoid making accusations or casting blame.

Be Uncompromising
Don't allow the substance abuser to take over the meeting, or to suggest alternate plans. Once you've committed to the intervention, make it clear that the abuser has two choices: either get treatment now, or lose your emotional and financial support.

Professional support
Consider hiring a counselor to help facilitate and guide the intervention.