Earl Hightower discusses the issue of sabotage during interventions. Sometimes a family member will be invested in keeping the identified patient sick; they may benefit from them remaining “sick.” The pre-intervention work is critical in identifying those who might sabotage the intervention and uncover any issues that might undermine the process. You can then create [...]

Earl Hightower talks about harm reduction and how it is being used inappropriately often. It has its place, but should not be the norm. In most cases the proper use of medication-assisted treatment is as a form of detox, not long-term maintenance. We have to be willing to give the alcohol and addict a shot [...]

Earl Hightower talks about how confusing use of terminology such as harm-reduction or abstinence can cause confusion about the most effective way to help those with addiction. The primary mission of treatment is to take someone who is unwilling or unable to stop drinking, and break down their resistance to recovery so they can become [...]

Earl Hightower discusses when an addict in treatment suddenly decides they want to leave prematurely – why they make this decision and how family members can be manipulated into allowing him to make what can be a disastrous decision. If you can see this, then you might need a Flash Player upgrade or you need [...]

Part II of Earl Hightower discussing why it is risky to try to do your own intervention without the help of an experienced professional. If you can see this, then you might need a Flash Player upgrade or you need to install Flash Player if it’s missing. Get Flash Player from Adobe.

Earl Hightower discusses the risks of trying to do your own intervention without the help of an experienced professional. If you can see this, then you might need a Flash Player upgrade or you need to install Flash Player if it’s missing. Get Flash Player from Adobe.

Convincing an individual struggling with substance abuse to quit can be a difficult challenge. Just like any other struggle with addiction, psychological factors make it very hard to quit, so a person must be convinced on their own terms that the time is right. A group of researchers wanted to find out exactly what motivates [...]

It seems as if lately we hear more about prescription drug abuse. While there’s a perceived rise in prescription drug addiction, it’s always out there. The issues unique in my opinion in prescription drug addiction is that the dealer is often the physician – where I’m going to connect, where I’m going to get my [...]

Video interview with Earl Hightower.

Sometimes families put off an intervention or treatment because of other obligations – this might be the holidays or a family vacation. The risks for delaying are substantial any time of the year. If you get a window of opportunity you take it. I had a woman tell me the family normally goes back East [...]