"What can we do?" "We love him; we can't just throw him (back) to the streets?" "We're afraid he/she may die?" "How can we help him/her?" "We've tried EVERYTHING, even calling the police, but nothing seems to get through to him/her!" "We've spent everything we have including mortgaging our home to pay for lawyers to keep him out of jail, or go to a treatment center and still he/she can't stay clean and sober for more than a couple of weeks, then (s)he's back doing what got him/her in trouble in the first place.!!" "We love him/her, but he/she can't stay here! We've got impressionable children!" "We don't want them to see their uncle/auntie/brother/sister like this!" "Where can we go?"

These sad and biting questions and comments are just some of the pleas and cries for help and support that I have heard over the past few years from many a disheartened family member as a professional Certified Addictions Treatment Counselor, and interventionist. My heart sinks each time and I'm truly moved to tears as I am reminded of the pain and anguish of my own family on a warm summer Sunday evening more than eight years ago. Twenty loving individuals sat in a circle in my parent's living room and lovingly gave me the ultimatum. "You need to get into treatment or you will be excommunicated from the family."

I remember my first response was, "Bbbbb...but you're not giving me ANY choice!!" then it was, "But you don't understand." Then it was, "I'm not as bad as some people, believe me!." All my cries for leniency, patience and just a little more time to figure out if I did have a problem or not were rejected and I was forced, with love, into the rooms of recovery. Fast forward Eight years and now I am the one helping other families make the same tough decisions my family made for the benefit, health safety and often times the life of their loved one.

As an interventionist, it is my job to help prepare the family to confront the addicted or alcoholic family member and help him/her recognize what their disease is doing to them and to the entire family and helping the family and Addict/Alcoholic find solutions to their problems and disease.
Using age-old techniques from many different fields of thought, from personal and professional experience, I help the family lovingly bring the message of Hope, Faith and Courage to their loved one in a way which, so far, has been accepted in many cases.

WHAT IS A FAMILY INTERVENTION?

By the time the family calls an interventionist, the Addict's/Alcoholic's problem is already well known by many including family, friends, co-workers and others with whom the A/A has come in contact either sober or not. In many cases, however; the A/A somehow believes that no one really knows what is going on or they always have an excuse for their behavior when they are suddenly confronted with their alcoholic or addiction problem. An intervention quickly brings the situation to a critical level beginning the confidential yet respectful process which can safely interrupt the negative physical and emotional spiral of the A/A, and the unfortunate consequences to the A/A and their family and friends.

Through education, an intervention teaches the family the basics of addictive behaviors and then helps the family create a plan of action instigated by them meeting together and, when possible, including an employer, work supervisor and/or a respected friend or colleague. This then, creates an immediate opportunity to help the A/A recognize his/her problem and then quickly admit them into an appropriate treatment facility. An intervention also includes the development of a plan for continued identification of problems with the additional resources available for the family and friends along with the Family's and the A/A's commitment to continue working through the life-long recovery process.

An intervention interrupts the effects and destructive behavior that the abuses of the drugs and/or alcohol have produced. An interventionist wants to help the A/A stop hurting them self with the alcohol, drugs and/or other destructive behaviors associated with their disease. Through a loving intervention process the A/A can then be able to start developing new ways of confronting problems. Clinically, it is a fallacy that a loved one must "HIT BOTTOM" or come to total mental and physical exhaustion to accept a program of treatment and recovery. It is our sad experience that the longer the problem persists, the lengthier and/or more complicated the treatment will need to be.

John received his Bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in communications in 1986 and he is very proud of his graduation from the Pierce College's Addiction Studies Program 2004 suma cum laud under the direction of Dr. James Crossen, Ph D, CDS, M.F.T, R.N., under whose tutelage and continued support, John decided to begin to reach out to the families of addicts and alcoholics in doing family interventions in both English and Spanish.

Early in his recovery, after 2 ½ years of sobriety in the rooms of the 12- Step programs, John found a need to help start the first long-standing Cocaine Anonymous meetings in Spanish in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County. In doing so, John's ability to work with the Hispanic population led him and some friends to begin the non-profit organization, Paso Por Paso, dedicated to helping the Spanish-Speaking addict/alcoholic find treatment and recovery in their own language. Paso Por Paso, a California 501 (c)3 non-profit corporation is dedicated to helping others struggling to find treatment and recovery in their own language.

John has been working since he was 3 years old, when he landed his first paid job as a used car salesman for an OK used cars commercial in the early 60's. John became well known as the Child Star, Johnny Whitaker who gave two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster her first on-screen kiss in the 1973 musical film, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." He is also remembered as "Jody Davis" from the 60's family television series, "Family Affair" and the Saturday Morning children's television program, as John Stuart in "Sigmund and The Sea Monsters". Johnny Whitaker is recognized as one of the most beloved child stars of the 60's and 70's.

Today, John has had the privilege of working in various capacities in the field of addiction treatment. He was instrumental in helping to open the newest of the Malibu treatment facilities, The Canyon at Peace Park, where John was a weekend 12-Step counselor and co-intake coordinator. Before working with The Canyon, treatment specialist and Toltec teacher, Lee McCormick invited John to go to Teotihuacán, Mexico where he gained special insights into the Toltec Teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz and the Four Agreements which is now one of the modalities John uses in his work. He also worked with addicts/alcoholics and the dually diagnosed as a group and personal counselor for Independent Community Treatment Clinic (ICTC) was the Intake Counselor and Community Outreach Specialist for People In Progress a non-profit drug and alcohol treatment facility mainly supporting the indigent, homeless, recently released from prison and others less fortunate. For the past five years, John has worked at Tarzana Treatment Centers, Inc., as an Outpatient Counselor, the Retention Counselor a bi-lingual Residential Counselor and now for the last year as the Alumni Coordinator and AWARE Liaison, a political support person for patients and supporters of treatment and recovery.

John's spirituality and genuine care for the individual and the family of the Addict/Alcoholic is clearly seen and felt during his interventions. Whether or not you and/or your loved one believe in a higher power, John helps the family to understand the importance and the spiritual power of the love of a united family.

Since Mr. Whitaker, is also President and Founder of Paso Por Paso, he has graciously agreed to have up to one-third of the cost of the interventions go directly to the California Non-Profit 501 (c) 3 Corporation, Paso Por Paso. This means that while you are helping your family member and your family, one-third of the cost of the family intervention will be donated to Paso Por Paso, giving you a legal and honorable tax deduction, and making it possible to help those less fortunate who also need similar support and programs to be able to receive them regardless of their ability to pay.

If your family is unable to pay the usual and customary fees for an intervention, (ranging from $900 to $3,000 travel expenses and meals extra) then you can request your intervention done on a sliding scale and/or on an ability-to-pay basis. These interventions are usually reserved for those households whose median incomes would require such help and support, however; we will NOT let any family in crisis lose out on the opportunity of having a needed intervention and a skilled interventionist available to help your family member and the family get the support they need.

Our interventionist, John O. Whitaker, Jr., CDS, CATC will find the treatment resources available to you either in your own town or state and/or depending on the decision of the family members, in another part of the country. John has a good reputation at placing individuals in the best-possible programs for the individual.

Viable treatment facilities also range in cost from no cost to over $40,000 per 30-day stay. Depending on the family's resources and available locations, John will work with the family and the addict at arriving at the best possible solution for the situation.

There is a big difference between TREATMENT and RECOVERY. Treatment helps to identify the problems for the addict/alcoholic and then choose the best tools and methods to give the individual support needed for continued sobriety and abstinence. Depending on the Treatment facility chosen, for the addict/alcoholic, John will help find the best facility for the resources available to the client and their family. One thing both the addict/alcoholic and the family need to remember is that Recovery is a life-long process requiring daily work with others in the recovering community.

During the intervention, Mr. Whitaker will provide family and friends with their own resources to help them overcome their co-dependency and personal issues as well as providing 12-Step and other resources to the addict once he/she returns home from treatment.