Dear Ken...

Here is yet another reason that we at Intervention911 continue to be the hand of help...

Dear Ken:
One week ago my family and I cried out for help and your staff was there to field the call. I contacted the number I saw on your web site and Jeffrey Seltzer answered.

I am sending you this message to thank you for this service. Words alone cannot express my appreciation for Jeffrey Seltzer and the job he did. His passion for helping families in their time of need was overwellming. He matched our case with the perfect interventionist who was the perfect man to help us in our time of need.

Today, my sister is getting the help see needs at Whiteside Manor in Riverside, CA. I can't say enough about your entire staff. They help perfect strangers in their most difficult times. They are forever part of our family.

Thanks again and God Bless

Choose Your Bottom

There is nothing worse than watching a family member struggle with addiction. They simply are not the same people we once knew. As family members watching the tornado of destruction they create everywhere they go, we are familiar with the stealing, string of constant lies and excuses, the anger and the frustration. Above all, we feel helpless to do anything. We have cried, screamed, prayed, and lectured until we are blue in the face. However, there is a way to stop being helpless and start making positive choices for our loved ones. Enter the intervention.
An intervention is not a lot of things: it is not cornering the addict and trapping them into submission, it is not forcing them to go to treatment, it is not a situation that involves blame, criticism or shame. It is a structured, professionally guided, unified show of support and love by a group of people who care too much about the addict to continue to love them to death or to let them die. What's more, it is a way of the family of addicts to take back the power they have lost to help their loved one. Keep reading...
The pure and simple fact of the matter is that every addict or alcoholic is going to hit bottom. A lot of people think that in order to allow the addict to do that, the family has to sit back and watch them suffer until the bitter end. Not so. By being a part of an intervention, the family and interventionist is going to be providing the addict with three things: the gift of recovery, the chance at a new life lived in sobriety and a safe bottom. The keyword is safe.
Take Johnny for example: his family is a wreck. They have been watching him abuse heroin and opiates for years. They have prayed many many times for Johnny to end up in jail or for something so drastic to happen that it creates what will be his "bottom". Unfortunately, it's not really going as planned. Johnny has gone from having a wife and child with a decent job and a car to crashing on couches, sometimes seeing his daughter and leaving his wife with what seems like her only option, divorce. Johnny has overdosed, lost his job and clearly, his life is out of control. One would think that any number of these things would prompt Johnny to see that he needs help to stop abusing drugs and to reach out to get that help. Although Johnny's parents try to do the right thing, they aren't helping. They have bailed him out of jail after he promised to go to rehab, they have been assisting his wife with money to keep Johnny's bills paid and until last month, they were helping Johnny make his car payment. When Johnny needs somewhere to go, his parents will let him crash at their house, all the while hoping he is coming there to get clean.
It is obvious to most that Johnny is not being impacted by the continual loss of the things in his life that used to mean so much to him. It is time for an intervention. The real problem with random bottoms is that we don't get to choose what that bottom will be. It could be a car accident, a fatal overdose, a life lived in prison as a result of a drug related crime, and the list goes on. By participating in an intervention, the family is standing together and saying "we will not help you with your illness any longer, we will only help you in your wellness." Healthy boundaries are set by the family and the addict is presented with this "safe bottom" in a loving, kind way. Each interventionist works with the family to develop a custom strategy for guiding Johnny to the right choice, that choice being treatment. In the end, the choice will be Johnny's alone, but the simple effective way it is presented to him as a result of a professionally guided intervention allows Johnny to see that this option truly is the best option.
If you have a friend or family member that has an addiction, my condolences go out to you. It's definitely not a fun place to be. However, you do not have to sit back and wait for a bottom. Take some control back and give "Johnny" the best gift he'll ever get.

It Didn't Happen Today

As I've blogged about before, I tend to struggle with living in the present. I find myself worried about the future a lot, especially in stressful times, instead of turning my concerns over to God as I have been taught.
So, I went to my homegroup last Friday and was listening to someone talk about this very topic. What she said was that sometimes at the end of the day, it's very helpful to remember that all those worries and concern DIDN'T HAPPEN TODAY. If I'm worried about losing a job, for instance, I can remember that it didn't happen today. All those bad things that are maybes and could happens and might happens DIDN'T HAPPEN TODAY.
What's more, the real lesson that was reiterated to me again was that when I actually take the right action and go to a meeting, I seem to hear exactly what I need to hear. It always ends up that way.

A Good Night's Sleep — Testimonial

Working in the intervention field is at times very stressful, very difficult and exhausting. However, when we receive feedback like this, it makes it all worthwhile.

Dear Intervention911 Team:
I feel like I can put my head on my pillow tonight and be able to close my eyes! I really need sleep! My brother is safe, and is in a safe place with people who will get him through this!

I can't tell you how wonderful and how pleased our family feels about the entire process of this Intervention. All of you from the start were warm, caring, down to earth people who gave great advise, wasted NO time and guided us through with such ease!

Beth was WONDERFUL!!! I feel like I've known her for years! She did a great job and was so, so caring but strong at the same time. She knew exactly what to say, when to say it and I can't say enough about her. We could have NEVER done this without her!

From my heart, I thank all of you. I'll now pray for my brothers success with his treatment instead of praying that he lives through another day.

Can you please send on to me Beth's Email address. I know I have it here somewhere. It would be great if you could forward that on to me.

Thank you ~ My best to all of you,

Anonymous Client of Intervention911

Breaking Down the Wall of Denial Through Intervention

Suboxone: Miracle drug or more of the same?

As you may have heard, there is a new drug that is being used nationwide to assist opiate addicts with their withdrawal symptoms while trying to kick their habit. Buprenorphine hydrochloride, better known by its brand name, Suboxone, is a narcotic that is available for prescription from a regular doctor, as opposed to methadone, which is available only at approved clinics.
What does it do? In simple terms, it alleviates the addict from typical opiate withdrawal symptoms such as body ache, nausea, cravings, insomnia, cold and hot sweats and many other absolutely horrific symptoms. Sounds great, right? Yes and no.
Yes, this is a wonderful new drug when used properly, but like any other narcotic, if misused and abused it too can become addictive.
It is extremely important to remember that opiate addiction is no simple matter. Opiate addicts are still in need of intensive inpatient treatment, with or without Suboxone. The problem we are seeing with this new miracle drug is that doctors are freely prescribing Suboxone to opiate addicts with no program of treatment to go with it. When this happens, not only does the addict transfer addictions from opiates to Suboxone, but many times they are combining this new drug with their already out of control addiction to heroin, Oxycontin, etc. One may see proof of this in the headlines from Google News:

"They allege he stole the prescription medication Suboxone from a residence in Lisbon earlier this month."

"Suboxone is an opiate therapy drug, and “what we’re finding is, just like methadone, it is being widely diverted and sold, just like methadone,” Crandall said, adding that one “can” get high off it."

"Police tell the Patriot-Ledger of Quincy that they raided the home at about 5 p.m. Tuesday and arrested 56-year-old Janet Evans and seized 70 small bags of heroin, Suboxone and Seroquel pills, marijuana, and a small amount of cocaine with a street value of about $1,500."

"Michael Wellman, 48, pleaded guilty to the three charges involving the prescription drugs Vicodin and Suboxone. He was arrested after police investigated the death of Aundrea Benson, 20, who died of a drug overdose in October."

This new epidemic was brought to my attention because as of late, I have been working with a plethora of families who are reaching out to Intervention 911 seeking advice and guidance about a loved one who is on Suboxone, but still seems to have a flourishing addiction. This is because Suboxone is not a miracle drug. Although the withdrawal symptoms may be alleviated for a time or the addict is not using nearly as much of their drug of choice, their addiction and the sickness that accompanies it is still alive and well. This drug is not an effective replacement for treatment and must be used ALONG WITH a program of recovery. Otherwise, we will continue to see what we are seeing now: prolonged addictions and no realistic, life of freedom in sight. A life lived dependent on any chemical is a life lived in bondage.
Our goal at Intervention 911 is to help families free themselves and their loved ones from the ties of addiction. This doesn't mean finding a less harmful alternative to opiates, it means getting to the core of the problem and dealing with the issues that are causing the addict to continue to use.

Ken Seeley Speaks the Truth About Intervention

Interventionist Ken Seeley explains intervention & what families should do to help addicted or alcoholic family members. Our treatment centers have all the tools you need to help your family member stop drinking or doing drugs.