Anyone suffering from an addiction faces a harsh reality that is most often filled with pain and suffering.
What an addict considers normal and what he deals with on a daily basis is usually outrageous and bizarre and hard to understand by friends and family.
He knows something is wrong with his life, he understands but struggles to face the reality of his addiction and a life out of all control and normalcy.
An addict may want help and secretly think about and plan for some kind of relief from his addiction and suffering but has no practical idea on how to make that happen on his own.
His main fear is being without his substance of addiction or getting caught in a situation where he is involuntarily prevented from using his drug of choice. He fears the unknown, distrusts everyone, and guards his private life of addiction with a passion.
Thoughtful Consideration!
in·ter·ven·tion: “action that is taken to improve a situation, especially a medical disorder.”
The Opportunity in Intervention
Even if an addict gets to a point where he truly understands that he has a serious addiction and wants to make a change and take steps to seek help, he will almost never do so on his own.
This is a great opportunity! An Intervention by friends and family can be the catalyst that can finally help an addict take the initial steps toward recovery.
An intervention requires a team that includes the individual’s friends, family, and loved ones. Often a professional intervention specialist is needed including, counselors, therapists, or other addiction professionals.
The team will discuss the situation with the addict, present the problem, and offer options. The discussion will include frank and honest descriptions of the addiction crisis, including input from family and friends on how the addictive behavior is affecting their lives.
Support is provided by the team professionals who guide the meeting along and serve as educators during and after the intervention. A Professional Interventionist will tend to ignore the emotional charge and help keep the meeting grounded and dealing with the facts and reality of the situation.
The team will encourage the person to seek help for their addiction. They will already have details about the options and availability of a good program and will be prepared to assist in moving from an intervention meeting straight into a recovery and treatment program. Arrangements and a reservation may have already been made.
Your Intervention Team.
Will an Intervention help you?
It’s important to remember that a successful intervention is not a confrontation.
Not a good idea!
Rather, it’s a great opportunity for an addict to accept help in taking the first steps toward a recovery.
An intervention will likely be necessary if your friend or loved one exhibits any of the following:
Is unable to control the addictive use.
Is in denial about the addiction as a crisis.
Ignores the problems the behavior is causing.
Is unreceptive to offers of help from friends and family.
Your Intervention!
When staging an intervention it’s a good idea to have a checklist of steps you will need to take and resources that you will need. We offer a free PDF checklist that can be obtained by clicking the link below:
The Team
The real power in an intervention is having the right people on your team. Please make sure you choose the best and most involved people for your team.
Careful screening is necessary. Be sure to never include anyone who supports or condones excessive alcohol or drug use in any way. Choose kind and supportive people who show a real compassion and truly love and care for your loved one.
All participants must have the patient’s best interests at heart. If friends and family are not sufficient to encourage the addict to seek treatment, consider asking for the help of a professional.
The location
During an intervention, there will be a lot of emotion on display. You’ll be touching the patient deep in a very uncomfortable place and there may be a lot of arguing and complaining… and even crying. You must choose a comfortable space where the patient will feel safe and secure. A private home or other non-public location is better than a public one.
This is not a good location!
Wrong Location for an intervention.
The information
You will be dealing with the patient’s addiction in great detail and the more you know the more help you can provide. Learn as much as possible. If you don’t understand exactly what you’re dealing with, you’re going to have a really difficult time making valid points and supporting your recommendations.
The message
You have to know what you are going to say as a group. Talk it over ahead of time and get really clear on what it is you are going to say.
Don’t use accusatory language and begin placing blame. Instead, use personal statements that express how you feel and show how their behavior has personally affected you.
The follow-up
Do you have plans for after the intervention? Where do we go from here? If you are recommending treatment, have a treatment plan ready. Do all of your research ahead of time and find a treatment center that is appropriate for your case and make sure it’s not only available but also that it’s affordable.
The perfect end to an intervention is to get your loved one into treatment the same day. Be prepared and make all the arrangements before you schedule the intervention.
The worst case
Let’s be realistic and accept the fact that sometimes the intervention just doesn’t work. What then? What if your loved one rejects your offer of help, denies that he has a problem, and refuses your offer of a treatment program?
You must plan for this possibility and decide what you will do. Is there anything you can say or do? Do you have an ultimatum? A backup plan?
An ultimatum doesn’t harm your loved ones, but instead, it will help encourage them to make the right decision. They need to know exactly what you will do and what to expect if they ignore the treatment and choose to continue with their addiction.
You must immediately stop any enabling patterns and limit access to family finances, housing, meals, transportation, or any other support you provide that enables those addictive behaviors to continue.
Do Interventions always work?
According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, over 90% of people who attend a professional intervention, more than 90% will make a commitment to seek help.
It’s possible, however, that any intervention can fail. There is no guarantee of success.
Interventions may fail for many reasons, including:
Not being prepared.
You have to do your proper planning and organizing. Understand that there are a great many things that can go wrong during an intervention and proper planning and preparation is the key to success.
Hosting the Intervention in a poor location.
You just can’t do this at a coffee shop or a library where strangers are present. The patient will clam up, feel embarrassment, and not cooperate at all. They may just get up and leave.
You must find a setting where your loved one will feel safe and secure, be out of the public eye, where you can hold a private meeting where emotions become involved and a place that maximizes your chances of success.
Holding an intervention while high.
I know that I don’t need to say this but never, never try to approach a patient for an intervention when they are high, drunk, or suffering from physical symptoms such as withdrawal or intense cravings.
To be successful, you must approach the patient when they are sober and able to process what you are saying.
Exhibiting signs of your anger, judgment, or blame.
Successful Interventions happen when loved ones offer understanding and compassion. You must show total support, be non-judgmental, provide total assurance of your commitment to them and love for them.
Any aggression or confrontation will make them combative, defensive, and aggressive towards you and the team. This is a psychological game and to win you must play by the rules.
No Professional assistance when needed.
Some interventions may be successful with only the support and participation of family and friends. However, addiction and understanding the minds and thinking habits of an addict are best left to the professional who can turn a nightmare intervention into a successful dream come true.
When Is The Right Time?
It was once thought that an addict had to hit the bottom of his addiction before he would be ready to consider treatment. Modern practice, however, has shown the opposite to be true; some addicts reach out for treatment early in their addiction.
We recommend that you intervene early and take every opportunity to help your addicted loved one before additional addiction-related damage occurs.
Timing is everything! You should have a treatment plan in place where the individual can proceed directly to treatment after the invention. You should have already secured a spot and have a bag packed and be ready to go.
The best idea is a strong family representative or the professional interventionist to escort the addicted individual to rehab, making sure they arrive there safely.
A Professional Intervention Can Help
An intervention is a heavy mind-wracking conversation with a lot riding on it. You might consider doing this alone but before you do you should consider the possibility of failure… and you can fail quickly.
This is not just some conversation. Addicts are almost always in denial about their substance abuse and when confronted they may react angrily or even violently.
A professional interventionist can make things run smoothly, and give your loved one the best chance of getting the help they need.
It’s a fact that interventions can be racked with fear, anger, and negative emotions. A Professional interventionist will keep the conversation on track.
This is not a time to cry and complain about past actions or experiences or to voice complaints or make charges. This is a time to create a healing and recovery opportunity only!
Remember, the sole purpose of an intervention is to get the addict to seek help. An un-moderated intervention can be very counterproductive.
Finding an Interventionist
Experienced intervention specialists have a special knowledge and training that can help your team manage the intervention. Their specialized skills make a well rounded team with the experience to get the job done properly.
An outside professional approaches the intervention differently than family and friends do. They offer a special knowledge and offer help in a calm and nonjudgmental manner. They help manage the intervention and keep it on track and progressive.
The minimum expectations for assistance by a good Interventionist are typically:
Organize and train the team.
Create an intervention plan with the team.
Conduct pre-intervention preparation.
Serve as moderator during the intervention.
Provide assistance in moving the patient into your chosen rehabilitation center.
Professional Interventionists can be found by searching online. There are many private practices that specialize in addiction recovery issues. You can look for an Interventionist in the following places:
Private practices
Religious organizations
Hospitals and treatment centers
12 step programs
Our suggestion, and possible the fastest, easiest, and best solution is to talk to the Intake councilor or other professional at the treatment center you are considering. They usually have professional Interventionists on staff and will be available to you by phone for a consultation and in all likelihood will be able to assist you in your intervention.
This makes a lot of sense because the resident intervention specialist from your chosen treatment center is intimately familiar with their programs and offerings and can make the transition from intervention to a care program very fast and easy.
To help you find a qualified interventionist and learn about your options, call 1-888.971.3018. You will be able to speak with an addiction treatment advisor. It’s a beginning.
Also, you can visit our website to get complete details on Intervention and how it works. Visit: www.chateaurecovery.com/our-program
Chateau Recovery Center Addiction treatment center in Midway, Utah Address: 375 Rainbow Ln, Midway, UT 84049, USA Hours: Open today 6 AM– 12 AM http://chateaurecovery.com
Here is a great video full of facts about Intervention. Produced by a professional and offered here for your use in studying Intervention.