Drug intervention is a structured process aimed at persuading individuals with drug addiction to seek help. It addresses the symptoms and consequences of addiction, highlights the co-occurrence of mental illnesses, and outlines steps for effective interventions. Recovery from addiction is compared to chronic illnesses, emphasizing the importance of support and the need to eradicate stigma surrounding drug abuse.

2. Presented By: Sidra Akhtar
Drug Intervention

3. Drug Interventions
 A drug intervention is a structured, solution-
oriented process undertaken to persuade
someone who is abusing drugs to seek help in
overcoming the addiction
 The goal of drug intervention is for the addict to
accept the reality of their drug addiction and to
seek help.

4. symptoms:
 Unpredictability while under the influence
 Spending a great deal of time thinking about
using and/or actually using
 Attempting to quit with little success
 Frequent, unexplainable mood swings
 Becoming unreliable and untrustworthy
 Having difficulty focusing on projects or tasks
 Isolating oneself from others

5. 1
10
100
Child Teen Young Adult Adult
1.5%
67%
5.5%
<12 12-17 18-25 >25
Addiction is a Developmental Disease:
It Starts Early
26%

7. COMORBIDITY
Drug Users have a Higher Risk of
Developing Mental Disorders
•Psychosis
•Depression
•Anxiety
•Panic attacks
Example: SMOKING EPIDEMIOLOGY
normal population: 23%
alcoholism: 90%+
other addictions: 90%+
schizophrenia: 85%
depression: 80%

8. Is a Drug Intervention Necessary?
 Some drug addicts can and do recognize the extent
of the problems stemming from drug abuse and seek
treatment without the need for an intervention.
 They may instead blame other people or
circumstances in their lives
 They ignore the safety issues related to drinking and
driving and other high-risk behaviors.
 It is common for addicts to deny that drugs are the
source of the difficulties they face.

9. Interventions
Prepare
letters
describing
the effects
of the
addict’s
behaviors
on their
lives
Develop
boundaries
and learn
how to
uphold
them to
prevent
enabling
behaviors
Create a
list of
behaviors
commonly
frequented
by the
addict that
the family
will no
longer
tolerate

10. Why do Mental Illnesses and Substance
Abuse Co-occur?
 Self-medication
hypothesis
 substance abuse begins as a
means to alleviate symptoms of
mental illness
 Causal effects of
substance abuse
 Substance abuse may increase
vulnerability to mental illness
 Common or correlated
causes
 the life processes and risk
factors that give rise to mental
illness and substance abuse

11. Source: Adapted from Volkow et al., Neuropharmacology, 2004.
Drive
Saliency
Memory
Control
Non-Addicted Brain
NO
GO
Addicted Brain
Drive
Memory
Control
GO
Saliency
Why Can’t Addicts Just Quit?
Because Addiction Changes Brain Circuit

12. Pharmacological
(medications)
We Need to Treat the
Whole Person!
In Social Context
Behavioral Therapies
Medical and Social
Services

13. Treatment Can Work

14. But, drug
addiction is a
chronic illness
with relapse rates
similar to those
of hypertension,
diabetes, and
asthma

15. Addiction is Similar to Other
Chronic Illnesses Because:
 Recovery from it--protracted abstinence and restored functioning--
is often a long-term process requiring repeated treatments
 Relapses to drug abuse can occur during or after successful
treatment episodes
 Participation in self-help support programs during and following
treatment can be helpful in sustaining long-term recovery
Therefore…

16. Full recovery is a challenge
but it is possible …

17. We Need to Keep Our Eye on
the Real Target
In Treating Addiction…

18. Why focus on drug abuse internationally?
I. Drug abuse is a global
phenomenon
5 percent of people aged
15-64
II. Intertwined dual-epidemics of
drug addiction & HIV/AIDS
HIV Infections Attributed to
Injection Drug Use and
Risky Sexual Behaviors
Related to Drug Abuse
Millions of Users
160.9
26.2
13.7
15.9
7.9 Cannabis
Amphetamines
Ecstasy
Cocaine
Opiates
UNODC 2005 World Drug Report
III. Take advantage of unique opportunities to advance scientific
knowledge through research

19. Where Do We Need
to Go From Here?
We Need to…
Advance the SCIENCE
Erase the STIGMA
and to…
Erase the STIGMA
and to…

20. The Steps of Drug Intervention
 1. Stop all “rescue missions.” Family members often
try to protect an abuser from the results of their
behaviour by making excuses to others about their
abuse problem and by getting them out of drug-
related jams. It is important to stop all such rescue
attempts immediately, so that the addict will fully
experience the harmful effects of his use and thereby
become more motivated to stop.
 2. Don’t enable them. Sometimes family members
feel sorry for the addict or tend to avoid the abuser; let
them come and go as they please. This comes across
to the abuser as a reward—after all, all he wants is to
be left alone.
 3. Time your drug abuse intervention. If possible, plan
to talk with the addict when he is straight. Choose a
time when all of you are in a calm frame of mind and

21. The Steps of Drug Intervention
 4. Be specific. Tell the family member that you are
concerned about his drug or alcohol abuse and
want to be supportive in getting help. Back up
your concern with examples of the ways in which
their drug abuse has caused problems for you,
including any recent incidents.
 5. State the consequences. Tell the family
member that until he gets help, you will carry out
consequences—not to punish the drug abuser,
but to protect yourself from the harmful effects of
the abuse. These may range from refusing to be
with the person when they are under the
influence, to having them move out of the house.

22. The Steps of Drug Intervention
 6. Find strength in numbers with the help of family
members, relatives and friends to confront the abuser
as a group. However, you want to choose one person
to be the initial spokesperson. It will be much more
effective for the others to simply be there nodding
their heads, than it would be for everyone to talk at
once and “gang up on him.” Remember the idea is to
make it safe for him to come clean and seek help.
 7. Listen. If during your drug abuse intervention the
abuser begins asking questions like; Where would I
have to go? For how long? This is a sign that he is
reaching for help. Do not directly answer these
questions. Instead have him call in to talk to a
professional. Support him. Don’t wait. Once you’ve
gotten his agreement, get him admitted immediately.
Therefore, you should have a bag packed for him, any
travel arrangements made, and prior acceptance into
a Drug Rehab programme.