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Bill Maher, Interventionist

Specializing in Gentle, Respectful Intervention of Alcoholism and Other Addictions
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Parents— Don’t Try This at Home

September 25, 2018 by admin

teenage alcoholismIt’s mind-boggling to me that families often try to treat the medical disease of addiction at home. If your teenager broke his arm, would you set the bone at the kitchen table? If he had an asthma attack, would you lecture him about getting his act together?

Of course not.

Still, families grapple with addiction at home for two reasons: First, addiction can look an awful lot like bad behavior, especially at the outset.  And second, parents feel embarrassed that addiction has found it’s way into their family, so they try solving the problem behind closed doors. There is a lot of shame related to this disease— parents feel as if they have failed.

In my 30 years as an interventionist, I’ve come to understand that addiction is one of the most complicated medical diseases to date. Few addicts recover on their own. And when they do, the hidden components of the disease have often gone untreated. An incomplete treatment leaves the entire family vulnerable to relapse. It can fracture families, which is counterproductive to your loved one finding and remaining in recovery.

Addiction treatment is never as straightforward as, say, cutting out a tumor or setting a broken bone. This disease is confusing and crazy-making. In the beginning, addiction looks a lot like a behavior problem. The manipulative behavior and the stealing feels like such a personal assault when in fact, it’s part of the disease process and there is an appropriate way to react to these behaviors that is not what you’d think.

We pull out our parenting tools and crack down with strict limits and consequences. Our intentions are good but, as the disease progresses, families don’t have the tools to deal with it on their own.

That’s why it’s important to seek help from a qualified addiction counselor, preferably one with experience in intervention, so that you make educated decisions and utilize your funds in the best way possible. Sure, I’m biased since that’s what I do.

But consider this. While a specialist costs money, just like a doctor costs money, they can direct your loved one to the best treatment for that individual and also save you money in the end– money that may have been wasted on the wrong treatment option for your child.

At the very least, find support for yourself.

Filed Under: Alcoholism, Family Intervention, Featured Post, parenting, Substance abuse, substance abuse treatment Tagged With: teenage addiction

Finding the Best Treatment Center

April 7, 2015 by admin

Selecting an appropriate facility for an addict and their family is an art form. One size does NOT fit all. In my experience, placing alcoholics and addicts in a treatment center with people of similar characteristics has big advantages. Over the years many treatment centers will find a niche group of people that they are good at and focus on that population. Would an alcoholic, senior executive relate well to a 19-year-old crack addict? Would a wealthy, isolated family matriarch fit in a program designed for youth? It is critical to match these wounded humans with the correct support and treatment. We’ve seen significant success from having physicians treated with other physicians. The same concept works for other populations. What about someone with a high security clearance? We now have substance abuse treatment facilities that specialize in licensed health professionals, military personnel, gay & lesbian populations, etc. These specially designed programs are highly effective in treating these various populations. I work with well over 200 inpatient treatment facilities, countless outpatient programs, and numerous clinicians all over the country to find the sweet spot for a family member, colleague or friend.  It’s worth the investment to hire a professional “treatment specialist,” to assist families with finding the right addiction treatment program for their loved one.

Filed Under: substance abuse treatment Tagged With: addiction, alcoholism, specialized treatment, treatment

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Call: (804) 677-7728

William J. Maher

CIP, CADC, ACI, BRI II
Board Registered Interventionist II

Member of the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC)
 and

The Association of Intervention Specialists (AIS)
More about Bill Maher, Interventionist...

“With a very high rate of success, Bill Maher is able to move the family along a path of healing, as well as foster a desire for recovery in the addicted individual.”

—Dr. David Smith, Haight Ashbury Free Clinic; Former President and Chair Physician of The Well Being Committee for the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)

Betty Ford Center Preferred Interventionist

“Maher's business is saving people from their addictions—one hairy family crisis at a time.”

—Style Weekly, Richmond, Virginia

Featured Blog Post…

teenage alcoholism

Parents— Don’t Try This at Home

It’s mind-boggling to me that families often try to treat the medical disease of addiction at home. If your teenager broke his arm, would you set the bone at the kitchen table? If … [Read More...]

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