INPUT ARTICLE: Article: It might be awhile before you can determine whether the intervention was successful. Even if the person is initially receptive to treatment, there's a long way to go before things will feel stable and secure again. Help him or her feel connected and supported throughout this difficult period. It's important for everyone involved in the intervention to do their part to make the process as smooth as possible. Many people feel cynical and negative during recovery, complaining about the treatment facility, the therapist, the other members in the support group, and so on. Do not give in if the person asks to end the treatment plan early. Resist the temptation to commiserate, since this can damage the person's resilience. Don't accept half measures. The person may argue that just two weeks of rehab was enough to cure the addiction, or that going to counseling three times a week is too much. Do what you can to help the person stick to the original treatment plan that was approved by a professional, since half measures don't usually work. Sometimes denial and anger end up winning the day, and the person decides not to get treatment. There's no way to force someone to get treatment if he or she just isn't ready. The most you can do is strongly encourage the person to go forth with the treatment plan, and make it clear you'll support him or her along the way. Even if the person refuses treatment, this doesn't mean the intervention was pointless. Now the person knows that his or her family thinks there's a serious problem. By getting these issues out in the open, family can stop the process of enabling the person's addiction. As painful as it might be, it's important to enforce the consequences that you planned to put in place if the person refused treatment. Allowing the person to just continue living the same way as before the intervention is never going to help. Until the person has full control over his or her addiction, there's always danger that a crisis will happen. The best thing you can do is cut off funding, break up with the person, or do whatever you personally know will create a significant life change that may help the person take a new path. If another crisis happens later, take advantage of it. For example, if the person ends up in jail or in the hospital, use that experience to show the person that he or she really does need treatment. Having a second intervention may be helpful. Remember, you are helping him or her to heal. Sometimes, we need to endure the pain of a loved one in order to provide the person with the help needed to get well.

SUMMARY: Support the person if he or she chooses treatment. Be prepared for the person to refuse treatment. Enforce the consequences.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you do end up getting stung, remove the bee stingers as soon as possible to prevent the spread of venom through your system. To remove the stingers quickly, simply scrape the surface of your skin with a credit card or another hard edge. This should remove the stingers without embedding them deeper into your skin. The more that you agitate and swat at killer bees, the more fiercely they will swarm and attack you. When trying to escape killer bees, just try to outrun them, don't try to kill them. While bees won't be able to sting you in the water, they will just swarm around the area where you went under and wait for you to resurface. Hiding in the water is not a viable strategy for killer bees. Some people may have an allergy to the stinger venom. If someone exhibits hives, excessive swelling, dizziness, fainting, or trouble breathing, go to the ER immediately. An allergic reaction could be life threatening.

SUMMARY: Use a credit card to remove the stingers. Don't kill or swat killer bees. Don't jump into a body of water. Seek medical attention if you have an adverse reaction to the stings.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: A "piggyback loan" will allow someone with a low down payment, or even no down payment, to purchase a home without PMI. This is actually a name for getting two separate loans. The first loan will be for of 80% of the property's value, so there will be no PMI requirement. Then the borrower will get a second loan that "piggybacks" on the first one, to cover the rest of the money that is needed. Following the downturn of the housing market, many banks have limited the piggyback option to 10% of the value, requiring the borrower to make at least a 10% down payment. This is often called an "80/10/10" loan, referring to the 80% first loan, 10% piggyback loan, and 10% down payment. Suppose a buyer wants to buy a property for $200,000. With an 80/10/10 piggyback loan, he would borrow $160,000 on a first mortgage (80%), $20,000 on a second, piggyback mortgage (10%), and make a down payment of $20,000 (10%). Imagine another buyer wants to buy a property for $450,000 using an 80/10/10 piggyback loan. His first mortgage would be $360,000 (80%); the second, piggyback mortgage would be $45,000 (10%); and the down payment would be $45,000 (10%). A piggyback loan is not automatically going to be cheaper than a traditional loan that includes PMI payments. You can use an online loan calculator to help you figure out which is preferable. One example of such a calculator is http://www.goodmortgage.com/Calculators/PMI_Or_Piggyback.html. The second loan is typically for a much shorter term than the first, often requiring full payoff in about ten years. While the piggyback loan lets you cut out PMI payments, you must realize that you will be making monthly payments on two loans at once. A buyer using this option will need to be sure that he can afford the monthly payments on both loans together.

SUMMARY:
Research the "piggyback" option. Calculate the value. Understand the drawbacks.