But if I kick him out, what if I never see him again?

Many people consider an intervention tough love. Although fewer than 10% of our alcohol and drug interventions actually go to "tough love" or bottom-lines, many families place a great deal of attention on it when deciding on whether or not to do an addiction intervention. Some family members are simply afraid that if they get tough or do an alcohol or drug intervention on an addict or alcoholic, they may lose what little connection they have, could antagonize their loved one or might even lose their loved one forever. Families can end up being stuck between fear and hope. Fear that they will make things worse if they push the issue and the hope that one day their loved one may "wake up" and want to change. In the worst cases a family will just hang on, unwilling to make a collective move, until that terrible day when they get the dreaded phone call that it is too late.

Tough love can be a scary concept to a family, but once you grasp the true nature, it can be one of the most effective approaches you have in getting your loved one to embrace recovery. Basically, tough love is where we draw a line in the sand with a using alcoholic or addict. It is an acknowledgement that if he wishes to continue on a path of his own destruction, we will no longer participate, be negatively affected or dragged down with them any longer. It is potentially the final statement in any addiction intervention. Tough love should never be delivered out of anger or spite. Effectively delivered, tough love can be a message of love. It is actually just a setting of healthy boundaries. If your loved one decides that he wants to continue using drugs or alcohol, then your intervention counselor will help guide you and your family through determining what aspects of their lives need to be changed so that you can be free from the addiction of your loved one.

Understand that an alcohol or drug intervention is never about us forcing you to disconnect or detach from a loved one addicted to drugs or alcohol. You will only do what you feel you must. We are only there to guide and empower you through the steps that will allow you to see things differently.

Intervention Tough Love