In its 2025 World Drug Report, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) issued a stark warning: “The social, economic, and security costs of the global drug problem are compounding due to conflicts, instability, and widening inequality.” The report highlights how drug use disorders now affect over 39.5 million people worldwide, with treatment options remaining out of reach for four out of five who need help.

It’s a crisis that spans continents but its impact is deeply personal, showing up in living rooms, emergency rooms, and family courtrooms across America.

For the team at Crosswell Interventions, based in Austin, Texas, these statistics aren’t abstract. They’re real people. Real families. And real consequences.

Meeting Crisis with Compassion

Crosswell Interventions exists for the moment when families don’t know where else to turn when addiction, substance misuse, or a mental health crisis has taken root and is pulling everyone down with it. Founded on the belief that change is possible through connection, clarity, and careful planning, Crosswell brings a heart-led, clinically informed approach to interventions across the United States.

“We don’t believe in ambushing people,” says Will Crosswell, founder. “This is about helping families communicate in a way that’s clear, loving, and firm so their loved one knows that support is waiting on the other side of this crisis.”

While the UNODC focuses on macro-level policy shifts, Crosswell and his team are doing the micro-level work of rebuilding lives one intervention at a time.

A Hands-On, Family-Focused Model

What sets Crosswell Interventions apart is its comprehensive and personal approach. Instead of a one-size-fits-all script, their process begins with a deep assessment of both the person in crisis and the family system around them. From there, the team crafts a custom plan which may include a formal intervention, clinical transport, mental health, or recovery coaching.

“We don’t just drop someone off at treatment and wish them luck,” says Will. “We walk with the family through the full arc from that first scared phone call to discharge planning and beyond.”

Crosswell’s interventionists are trained not only in addiction and mental health, but also in the emotional intelligence needed to navigate high-stakes, high-emotion situations. Many on the team are in long-term recovery themselves, offering both lived experience and clinical training.

This blend of compassion and professionalism has delivered results: families report a 90% success rate in getting their loved ones to agree to treatment, and more importantly, staying engaged long enough to begin healing.

Filling the Gap in a Fractured System

As the UNODC report points out, “The treatment gap remains wide with only 1 in 5 people with drug use disorders receiving care.” In the U.S., barriers include cost, stigma, and lack of awareness. But there’s also a subtler issue at play: many families simply don’t know how to help.

That’s where Crosswell comes in not as saviors, but as skilled guides.

“Our job is to build a bridge,” says Crosswell. “Between where a person is and where they could be and between families and their hope for healing.”

In a time when global systems feel unstable and overwhelmed, it’s easy to feel powerless. But Crosswell Interventions reminds us that action doesn’t always need to start at the policy level. It can begin around the kitchen table with honesty, structure, and the right kind of support.

A Call for Hope

The world may be facing a drug crisis of unprecedented scale, but companies like Crosswell Interventions are showing what it looks like to meet that crisis with heart, strategy, and resolve.

Because behind every statistic is a name. A story. A family trying to hold it together.

And thanks to Crosswell, more of those families have someone showing up, not just with answers but with empathy.

Learn more about Crosswell Interventions and how they support families at crosswellinterventions.com