Interventions are hard. If you can get advice from a doctor, psychologist, social worker, that would help. You might try calling a treatment center, see if a counselor would be willing to talk to you about what to expect and what you can do. There are guidelines out there, and they reputedly help. I'm afraid my experience is more in the line of cleaning up aftermath than intervening, so I can only be of limited help.
My whole life, I've never loved anything else.
Oz ,'Him'
Spike's Bitches 35: We Got a History
[NAFDA] Spike-centric discussion. Lusty, lewd (only occasionally crude), risque (and frisque), bawdy (Oh, lawdy!), flirty ('cuz we're purty), raunchy talk inside. Caveat lector.
-t - Mar 26, 2007 7:09:34 am PDT #2296 of 10003
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration
vw bug - Mar 26, 2007 7:12:03 am PDT #2297 of 10003
Mostly lurking...
Ginger, also, prepare yourself for it not to go well. I don't know how to tell you to do that, but...
beekaytee - Mar 26, 2007 7:28:05 am PDT #2298 of 10003
Compassionately intolerant
You might try calling a treatment center, see if a counselor would be willing to talk to you about what to expect and what you can do.
This is so important, not because good, caring people can't come up with the words/steps on their own...but because there needs to be an end result. Just saying 'we love you and are afraid for you' is helpful to a degree, but 'we love you and here is where we are going to take you for help' has more power.
And, goodness knows, 'go get help' is the best-least useful advice on the planet! If you can offer a where and how, the subject of the intervention is much more likely to take that next step.
Bless you and your friends Ginger. Going through what leads to this decision is never fun...and having the courage to care that much is commendable.
Ginger - Mar 26, 2007 7:29:08 am PDT #2299 of 10003
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
Oh, we're prepared for it to go badly. We just think it would be hard to live with ourselves if we didn't try. We're planning to rope his sisters and brothers in on this too.
lisah - Mar 26, 2007 7:38:07 am PDT #2300 of 10003
Punishingly Intricate
ugh, Ginger, I'm so sorry that you all have to deal with this but lucky for your friend that he (still) has people in his life that want to help him. The only things I know about interventions come from the A&E show Intervention. And they echo what folks here have already said.
Laura - Mar 26, 2007 7:40:27 am PDT #2301 of 10003
Our wings are not tired.
We just think it would be hard to live with ourselves if we didn't try.
Much better to live with the consequences of trying than with not.
Pix - Mar 26, 2007 7:41:35 am PDT #2302 of 10003
We're all getting played with, babe. -Weird Barbie
Oh Ginger. I have no advice, but good for you for being brave enough to try to help a friend who is slowly destroying himself. May it go as well as possible.
Polter-Cow - Mar 26, 2007 7:54:00 am PDT #2303 of 10003
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
I just paid off my student loan.
sumi - Mar 26, 2007 7:56:59 am PDT #2304 of 10003
Art Crawl!!!
Woo hoo P-C!
I fear I will be carrying my loans to my grave.
Strix - Mar 26, 2007 8:00:31 am PDT #2305 of 10003
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger
Hi. My students are taking the MAP. I tried a new sleep medication -- Rozeram or Restoril or something like that.
It sucks like a Hooverlicious sucking thing. I dreamt I was on Terri and Bindi Irwin's big ship an we sailed the 7 seas and fought pirates off the coast of New Jersey. But I feel like I did not get any sleep at all, and I am so freaking tired today I cannot believe it. I tried it for 3 days, and it has sucked consistently.
I don't care if Ambien's addictive; at least it frickin' WORKS.
That is all.