What to do?
By Tom Carey - Tribune lifestyle editor
Kokomo Tribune

Locals will get tips Thursday on how to deal with addiction.

Chemical dependency is a disease, says Muncie intervention specialist Bruce A. Perkins.

That's what people should remember when confronting a loved one about their substance abuse problem, which affects the abuser and those around them. Perkins will lead a free public workshop on intervention Thursday night. Those attending will also learn facts about the addictive disease, its destructive effects on families and loved ones, and how intervention counselors can help.

Assessing responsibility
Perkins said it's not unusual for families of chemically dependent people to get locked into their own states of denial. The counselor said 70 percent of those he has called about are employed, haven't missed a lot of work and may be keeping problems hidden. Some relatives may mistakenly believe the abuser and cut back on alcohol use, for instance or that the problem will simply go away.

Some folks may ignore the issue because they think acknowledgment will harm their family image. Perhaps they simply don't understand addiction is a disease, Perkins said.

Many locals have a problem with alcohol, contends Sonya R. Snow, coordinator of The Mayor's Council on Substance Abuse. She said alcohol abuse could lead to a myriad of other problems, such as child abuse, marital and health problems and work absenteeism. Thursday's program will help people recognize such problems and how to confront them.

Snow also suggested people can contact local hospitals to gain more information, which also will be available Thursday.

Perkins said intervention experts have learned abusers don't have to hit bottom - such as losing a job or being in an accident - but they and their families need to understand addiction is an illness and the chemically dependent person needs help to recover.

Approaching intervention
Perkins said he is often contacted by those who have a loved one who's in the early stages of, say, health or financial problems. The specialist said he will ask such a caller to come to the office - along with a friend or relative - before the end of the day to further discuss the situation.

If he determines at that point there's a substance abuse problem, Perkins will ask his visitors to compile a list of five to 10 people close to the substance abuser.

Unknown to the abuser, participants are asked to express their feelings, the specialist continued, and to write out how much they love and care for the substance abuser. Thos in the group should not come across as judgmental or preachy, Perkins said. If they are gracious in their wording, he continued, it cuts down on the chance there will be an argument.

When the loved ones arrive - en masse and with a mediator - they should be nonjudgmental and loving. Support the person gently working through their denial system to convince them there is a problem. Perkins said.

Eighty-five percent of those in interventions which Perkins has taken part in have gotten help that day, he said.