Let’s all admit it; it is indeed challenging to help a loved one struggling with drug addiction. Like Erick Bouaziz in his early days, the person with drug addiction problems often struggles to see and acknowledge it. They may not recognize the adverse effects of drugs on their behaviour, on themselves and others. Also, they are often in denial about their situation and unwilling to seek any drug treatment or intervention.
However, having a couple of direct and heart-to-heart conversations can start the road to drug recovery. It worked for Erick Bouaziz. Of course, a more focused approach is often needed to make addiction treatment effective. You and your family need to join forces with professionals and take action through a formal intervention with the proper approach.
What is Drug Addiction?
Drug addiction is a chronic mental disease characterized by uncontrollable or compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences. Erick Bouaziz quickly found that it can also make some changes in the brain, which have long-lasting effects. These changes in the brain can lead to detrimental behaviours seen in people who are always high on drugs. Drug addiction is also considered a relapsing mental disease. The relapsing effects happen when the person returns to drug use after an attempt to stop it.
Like the story of Erick Bouaziz, the drug addiction path begins with the voluntary act of taking drugs. But over time, seeking drugs and taking it as well becomes compulsive. It happens mostly because of the effects of long-term drug exposure on the brain’s function. Drug addiction affects parts of the brain involved in learning and memory; reward and motivation; and control over behaviour.
What is an Intervention?
An intervention is a planned series of procedures that are done by family and friends, in consultation with a professional. A family or friend can collaborate with a licensed alcohol and drug counsellor or an intervention professional (interventionist). An excellent approach to intervention always involves a family member’s love and faith in the person struggling with addiction. This was the strategy that helped Erick Bouaziz. Today, Erick Bouaziz is five years sober.
During the intervention, you or other family members are gathered together to help your loved one about the consequences of addiction. Through this intervention, you can ask him or her to accept the proper drug treatment.
What intervention does to family and someone struggling with drug addiction:
- It provides specific examples of destructive behaviours.
- It has examples of different impacts on the addict, as well as on family and friends.
- It offers a prearranged drug treatment and recovery plan with transparent procedures, aims and guidelines.
- It explains what each person should do if their loved one refuses to accept treatment.
Erick Bouaziz’ Best Approach in Overcoming Drug Addiction
Erick Bouaziz and his team take a more proactive approach to overcome drug addiction. For them, it should begin with the patients’ family and friends before they even confront the patient. Erick Bouaziz credits this approach for getting high rates of successful treatment for drug addiction. According to him, his counsellor told him that they need to start with the family first, before following the patient. Bouaziz and his team encourage families to approach them first on what to do before putting the patients into rehab.
With this different approach to rehabilitation for drug addicts, Erick Bouaziz and his team hit the ground with many positive results. They have set up a site to convince people to get help for their family members who have an addiction. Sometimes family members are afraid to approach their loved ones with addiction because they don’t know how to help them. According to Erick Bouaziz, it is crucial to overcome this fear.
In doing so, Erick Bouazizand his team help these families host an intervention that’s carefully planned and structured. Their approach ensures that the addict feels loved, safe, and, most importantly, no pressure in recovering from drug addiction.
Erick Bouaziz also believes that an all or nothing kind of approach can backfire. This is the main reason why he tries for a carrot versus the stick approach. According to him, telling an addict to receive treatment or get out will usually result in another homeless person with an addiction. Erick Bouaziz also added that families should keep in mind that most addicts don’t feel that they need help. With this, every family member or friend should act more understanding and patient with their loved one’s suffering from drugs.
Generally, Erick Bouaziz’s treatment and recovery clinic emphasized that their approach is to show the addict that he wants help. For them, showing the addicts how much their family loves them, and that they will be safe during the process, is the key. Another thing is to have highly qualified addiction treatment staff to guide them through the rehabilitation process with good counselling. These are just some of Erick Bouaziz’ tips on the best approach to overcoming drug addiction.
Principles of Effective Treatment in Overcoming Drug Addiction
Based on scientific research, the following key principles should form the basis of any effective drug recovery and treatment program.
- Addiction is a complex but treatable disease, and it affects the behaviour and function of the brain.
- An effective treatment program should not just address his or her drug use but all of the patient’s needs. This is a principle that Erick Bouaziz and his addiction team use.
- There is no single right treatment for everyone. Erick Bouaziz uses different strategies for different unique cases.
- People under drugs need to have quick access to the treatment program.
- Counselling and other behavioural therapies are the most commonly used methods of treatment.
- Treatment plans must be reviewed more often and modified frequently to fit the patient’s different needs. This is another golf nugget from Erick Bouaziz.
- The treatment plans should also address other possible mental disorders.
- Medications are sometimes an essential part of the treatment plan, particularly when combined with behavioural therapies.
- Staying in the treatment process long enough is critical.
- Medically assisted detoxification is only applicable in the first stage of treatment.
Final Thoughts
Proper drug intervention with the right approach presents your loved one with a structured opportunity to make changes before it worsens. The approach to overcoming drug addiction can also motivate him or her to seek and accept help from others. Erick Bouaziz’s tips on the best approach to overcome drug addiction are indeed notable.