by Lisa Frederiksen
You’ve likely heard the loved one of an alcohol abuser / addict or even yourself say, “There’s nothing I can do if she doesn’t want to get help.” or “He hasn’t hit his bottom, yet.” And, this was certainly the prevailing belief for YEARS. But, along with all of this new brain research [now possible thanks to brain imaging technologies that study the live brain and can see what's actually happening / happened to the brain of an addict (alcohol or drugs)], there’s a new philosophy called Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT).
According to its founder, Dr. Robert Meyers, a research associate and professor in psychology, CRAFT helps the families learn what they need in order to guide their addicted loved ones into treatment. Dr. Robert Meyers developed this approach after growing up with an alcoholic father.
In this video, Getting an Addict Into Treatment: The CRAFT Approach, produced by HBO in association with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NIAAA and NIDA, Dr. Meyers discusses how a family member can change their dynamic with the addict/alcoholic and help them take the first steps towards seeking treatment. “CRAFT is a system to try to help family members learn how to change the way they’ve been interacting with the drug user or someone who’s been drinking too much to get that person to eventually enter treatment,” says Dr. Meyers. CRAFT helps family members move away from the old, ineffective behaviors of berating, blaming, shaming, nagging, pleading, making deals and expressing anger — behaviors that have not worked for either the person who’s drinking or the person who loves them.
I urge anyone who has been grappling with a loved one’s drinking to watch this 18 minute video — there is another way…
