06 Apr Intervention Help for Alcoholics in Vancouver, British Columbia
How to Deal with Alcoholics in Your Family
As alcohol interventionist, I’m often asked to give advice to families of people suffering from alcoholism in British Columbia. Many of the questions are about how to do an alcoholism intervention, what should I do in cases of severe alcoholism, where should they go for the best alcohol treatment in Vancouver, British Columbia or Calgary, Alberta. With many options for alcohol and drug treatment in Canada its always better to get professional advice from a drug and alcohol interventionist.
What are the question that family members never ask a interventionist, but should, is: What do we need to STOP doing as family members to fix this problem?
Well-meaning family members are all about trying to figure out what they can do, what they need to do more of, and how they can better help their loved one kick their alcohol addiction. Sadly, this type of thinking often leads families into enabling behavior that only prolongs the addiction for their loved one.
Family members ask us, “What can I do to get my loved one into rehab? I’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work.” This is because families are not trained professional interventionist.
Alcoholics are good at Manipulation
Let’s be honest. Alcoholics are professionals at manipulating family and friends to keep enabling their drinking habits. You need a professional interventionist take on this challenge and get through to your loved one who keeps trying to convince you he doesn’t need any help or to go to treatment.
Alcoholics can be the most difficult addicts to deal with because they are often able to maintain their drinking while holding down a job or going to school. If their life isn’t seriously falling apart, they always try to get away with saying, “I’ll cut down,” or, “Maybe it is getting a little out of hand on weekends, but that’s cause I’ve had a stressful week at work.
Not until the alcoholic admits, “they are an alcoholic,” they won’t be interested in going to rehab – willingly. Alcoholics don’t accept responsibility for their alcoholism.
Family members and friends don’t realize, how difficult it is for loved one or non-professional interventionists, to achieve getting the alcoholic to accept help or to even accept the idea of going to a drug and alcohol treatment center in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Even alcohol and drug interventionists and addiction treatment counselors find that many alcoholics are difficult people to get through to.
Why Alcohol Addiction can be Different from other Addictions
Alcoholics have a major difficulty realizing how serious their problem really is, due to many reasons that set alcohol addiction apart from other addictions:
- Alcohol is legal and socially acceptable all over Canada.
- Alcohol is always easy to access and is cheap compared to other drugs.
- Alcohol is sold everywhere, especially at sporting events, social events, restaurants and grocery stores.
- Alcohol is given as gifts to people for Christmas presents.
- Alcohol is one of the most physically damaging drugs to a person’s body but its also not physically showing how much damage has been done to the persons body. Because the damage has been done internally.
- Detoxing from alcohol is dangerous and should be medically supervised, but many people think they can quit cold turkey on their own.
- Recovery from alcoholism can take years.
What Families Should know About Alcoholism
Alcohol addiction has been around for many years, and families have been suffering from it for just as long. How addiction affects the body and mind has evolved in recent years, but many families are still operating on outdated information that has been passed down through our society.
Here are real facts you need to know about addiction and how to deal with it:
Alcohol Is a Drug
Experts in Vancouver, Canada have identified alcohol as one of the most addictive drugs in the world, second only to heroin. Alcohol is also the 3rd leading cause of preventable death in Canada, playing a role in a loss of 80;000 Canadians each year.
And yet, alcoholics go about their daily lives, often appearing perfectly fine on the outside…until the day their addiction catches up and kills them or someone else from drinking and driving.
Alcoholics Are the Last People to Admit They Are Alcoholics
“I’m not an alcoholic, I still have a job and money in the bank”
Many alcoholics don’t believe they are actually alcoholic cause they still have money, family a place to sleep and a job.
Therefore, you need to hire a professional alcohol and drug interventionist. Our company has alcohol and drug interventionists in Vancouver, Surrey, Langley , West Vancouver and all over British Columbia that can help your family in person or by telephone.
Medical Detox for Alcoholics in Vancouver, British Columbia
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can include seizures or heart failure and can be potentially fatal. Therefore, we recommend that alcoholics begin the detox process in a medical facility where their health can be monitored. Medical professionals will also use a variety of medications to help ease the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms. Our professional drug and alcohol interventionists work closely with private detox facilities in British Columbia, Ontario, Edmonton and in Calgary , Alberta.
Alcohol & Drug Intervention and Recovery
It’s important to know that the intervention process will be emotional for the individual and the family. Many family members put off having an intervention because they’re waiting to try to find the right time, but there is no right time the alcoholic can die any time from alcoholism. Most interventions aren’t easy, calm, completely conflict-free with out the alcoholic trying to not go to rehab. But our alcohol and drug intervention are based out of care concern, love, compassion and successful. Our female drug and alcohol interventionist Geri Bemister has been seen all over the world on the T.V. Show Intervention Canada. Geri Bemister travels all over British Columbia and Alberta to help families with alcohol interventions and family interventions.
Don’t Try to Be an Interventionist
You shouldn’t have to try to be both a loving family member and interventionist, or father and interventionist, or sister and interventionist. Let a professional drug and alcohol counselor be the interventionist so you can focus on your role in the family.
Family members of alcoholics and addicts often feel pulled in two directions. On the one hand, they want to be a loving partner/parent/son/sister. On the other hand, they want to try to be the interventionist who convinces their loved one to get help for alcohol addiction.
Learn How to Help an Alcoholic or Drug addict with Family Intervention Services
Our professional interventionists work closely with licensed alcohol and drug treatment centers in Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Thailand, California and in Kelowna , British Columbia.