Intervene: An Emergency Guide to Heavy Drinking, Alcoholism, and Drug Addiction

When her nephew, Ray, died of alcoholism, the author was devastated: "How could we (the family) have let this happen?" Determined to find answers, she embarked upon six years of research that resulted in the book, Intervene: An Emergency Guide to Heavy Drinking, Alcoholism, and Drug Addiction.

The two greatest myths are "Wait 'til they hit rock bottom" and "Wait 'til they ask for help." Waiting results in a huge cost to the alcohol and/or drug user, his friends and loved ones, and society overall

This book describes STAGES, from overuse, to addiction, to death, that can progress slowly or quickly, depending on the substance, the person, and the circumstances. Color-coded Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red, these stages have been adapted to apply to both users and their loved ones.

It also lists and describes ten major STEPS that you can take to address the problems of alcohol and drug abuse, and explains how a user's STAGE can affect how you implement the STEPS. These steps include information on:
- definitions, steps, and stages;
- risk factors, complications, health insurance, and assessments;
- interacting with your user;
- preparing for crisis situations;
- detox, intervention, and treatment models;
- creating an intervention and treatment plan;
- support systems for users and loved ones;
- caring for the critically ill user;
- supporting your user during and after treatment; and
- mapping out a comprehensive action plan.

Each step offers questions and exercises for creating an individualized action plan, making the book highly beneficial not only to individual readers, but also to group work - via workshops, weekly meetings, teleconferences, or webinars. The tenth step provides guidelines for integrating the action plans from the steps into one, unified action plan.

There is so much more to substance abuse than just abstaining from alcohol or drugs For those who are concerned about alcohol and drug overuse, abuse, and addiction, this is a practical guide that gives you the knowledge and tools to customize your own action plan to address both immediate and long-term needs It offers a hands-on, solution-oriented approach. including not only what the experts have to say, but how this knowledge can be used - in a way that might mean the difference between life and death