Interventions

It’s probably fair to say that the average drug or alcohol abuser in need of treatment doesn’t have the self-motivation necessary to get that treatment. If they did, they would go do it. Therefore, it usually falls on family members and friends to handle it. Handling it starts with something known as an intervention.

Perhaps you are familiar with what an intervention is. If not, the intervention concept is not difficult to understand. The difficult part is implementing the intervention once you realise it is necessary.

What It Is

An intervention is a method by which the drug abuser’s family and friends confront him or her about their addiction in order to motivate them to seek treatment. When an intervention is conducted properly, it can serve as a powerful tool. The key to a successful intervention is to help the addict understand how destructive their behaviour is to both themself and those around them.

Oftentimes interventions take place in an environment the drug addict is comfortable with. It also involves people the individual tends to trust. Outside of these two controls, it can be difficult to conduct a successful intervention without professional help.

How It Works

Private Rehab Helper would be happy to advise you on conducting an intervention if you are not sure how to go about it. Please get in touch with us if that’s the case. In the meantime, here is a brief overview:

1. Assemble the Group – The first step is to assemble a group of family members and friends willing to participate. One person normally leads the group, but everyone should participate for maximum effect. Every member of the group must be willing to be open, honest, and willing to hold the drug abuser accountable.
2. Plan your Strategy – With a group assembled, the next step is to plan your strategy for confronting the individual. Plan to allow each member of the group to speak, in turn, as a means of directly addressing the drug abuser.
3. Treatment Options – As part of your planning, it is important that you have various treatment options ready to go after the intervention. Why? Because you may have a very narrow window of opportunity immediately following the intervention. If your loved one is ready to seek treatment, you want to take advantage of that right away – before he or she changes their mind.
4. Follow Through – Assuming your intervention proves successful, your job isn’t done until you follow through. In other words, the intervention group must take the responsibility of making sure the drug abuser actually checks into the program he or she is being admitted to. They must also make sure the individual completes that program as prescribed.

Intervention Hints

Now that you know the basics of the intervention, we would like to offer you some hints to increase your chances of being successful. As mentioned earlier, Private Rehab Helper would be happy to advise you further if you need help. That said, consider the following:

• Honesty – As you speak to the drug or alcohol abuser, be open and honest about what he or she is doing. You will not help the individual by hiding the truth from them.
• Care and Concern – Make it clear during the intervention that each member of the group is generally concerned about the health and future of the drug addict. Make it known that your care and concern is what is driving you to confront the individual.
• Make it Personal – It should be obvious that the drug addict is not concerned with how his/her actions are destroying their own life. Therefore, each member of the intervention group must make it personal. They must convey how the drug addict’s behaviour is negatively affecting them.