The other crisis is often overlooked. It is easy to identify a family’s primary crisis, the addicted person. We know that they are on a path of destruction and they have likely caused significant damage prior to an intervention.
Forms of a Secondary Crisis
- Retired parents spend limited money to help their adult child; paying the mortgage, rent or giving an allowance.
- Abuse or theft towards elderly parents by an addicted person (AP).
- Spouse/partners lying to “cover up” what is actually going on in the home.
- Spouse/partner that has been isolated from family, or family has been turned against the healthy spouse that is doing their best.
- Stressed out partner effectively raising children alone to “keep it all together.”
- Child Protective Services involvement.
- Financial problems of the AP and their family, money is missing or not going to the family as a whole.
- Intense arguing in a couple, yelling and possibly safety issues.
- Children having enough emotional intelligence to understand that one of their parents is acting weird.
- Adult children that argue with their parents about how to handle an addicted sibling.
- Adult children that no longer have a relationship with a parent that is addicted.
- Parents that spend time worrying and arguing about an A.
The family desperately wants to fix the primary crisis of getting their loved one sober. The AP is a wildcard; we don’t know if or when they will choose recovery. However, we can start to fix the secondary crisis immediately. This will bring the family peace no matter what the AP decides.
About Adam Banks
Adam Banks is a certified interventionist and the owner of Adam Banks Recovery. After receiving an MBA from the University of Chicago, Adam built a company acquired by United Health Care. His discipline and attention to detail comes from his former career as an airline pilot, holding an ATP, the FAA’s highest license.
Today, Adam is dedicated to helping others achieve long-term sobriety. His work has guided executives, pilots, and physicians on paths to recovery. Adam brings families together through a loving and inclusive approach. Adam has authored four books on addiction. His recent work, Navigating Recovery Ground School: 12 Lessons to Help Families Navigate Recovery, educates families on the entire intervention process. He also offers a free video course for families considering an intervention for a loved one.
Adam is available for alcohol and drug intervention services in New York, Long Island, the Hamptons as well as nationally and internationally.
