FAMILY INTERVENTIONS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Dear Ann Landers:

I am not sure how to help my 42-year-old son who is addicted to drugs.
"Steve" has always made a good living as a graphic designer, and is a
sweet and intelligent person. He admitted to me that he got started on
drugs as a teenager, smoking pot. Since then, he has tried every
street drug imaginable. Now, I'm sure he is on speed. He displays all
the signs.

Steve always believed he was so smart he could beat any addiction. His
professional life is flourishing, but his personal life is a mess -
unpaid bills, parking violations - and he has a younger, spaced-out
girlfriend who doesn't help the situation.

People tell me that the decision to go into rehab must be up to him
--- but I think an intervention may be what he needs. I have read
about famous people who refused to go into rehab, but did so when the
family did an intervention. I can't just sit back and watch my son
kill himself, because I know that will be the outcome if he continues
this way. --- A Mother, No City, State of Anxiety

Dear Mother. You are right on! Interventions have proven to be
extremely effective. Your phone book should list intervention groups,
or you can contact a nearby hospital or drug rehabilitation center for
assistance.

Although your son may seem certain that he can control his addiction,
the facts do not bear this out. I urge you to ask your son's friends
and all family members to participate in the intervention. When he
sees how many people truly care about him, it will strengthen his
resolve not to disappoint them.