Tips on How to Stage an Intervention

Drug interventions can be powerful tools to help someone realize that action is needed to break the cycle of addiction. To pull it off effectively requires careful planning and participation from those closest to the addict. With careful preparation and a stringent set of consequences in place, the chances of success are improved. It’s always a challenge to confront a loved one who is struggling with addiction. Before a formal intervention, loved ones might have tried heart-to-heart talks or even direct confrontations. Those might have seemed like drug interventions, but a true intervention is not done spontaneously. It requires more than just a face to face argument. Addicts will often deny their addiction when confronted. In an intervention, a group of the addict’s family and friends can confront the addict and present overwhelming evidence that the addiction is apparent to everyone but the addict. At this point, denial becomes almost impossible.  Although addicts who struggle with addiction may be in denial, an intervention will help them understand the  impact their addiction has on others. An intervention is essentially a last chance opportunity for an addict to seek help before the consequences become very drastic. Parents seeking advice on how to run an intervention should do as much research as possible. Drug interventions typically consist of a carefully planned event that is done by family and friends, in conjunction with a doctor, recovery professional or an intervention professional (interventionist). It can sometimes include a member of your loved one’s religious faith or a peer that your loved one looks up to who perhaps also battled addiction. During the drug intervention, this group comes together to confront your loved one about the consequences of addiction. The message should be clear: either seek help immediately, or the consequences will be immediate and severe.

• The typical process goes something like this:
• Loved ones layout specific examples of destructive behaviors and the traumatic impact on them;
• Friends and family remind the addict that they are loved but there are limits to how much bad behavior they can stand;
• The group then offers a prearranged treatment plan that lays out clear, unambiguous steps, goals and mandates;
• The group then spells out the consequences will be if the loved one refuses to accept treatment;

How to Stage an Intervention Successfully

To increase the chances of success, try following these steps: Start with a plan. A family member or friend proposes an intervention and forms a team to help plan the event. It’s best if you consult with a qualified professional counselor, an addiction professional, a psychologist, a mental health counselor, a social worker or an interventionist to help you organize an effective intervention. An intervention is a highly charged situation and requires a plan to deal with your loved one’s feeling of anger, resentment or assertions of betrayal. Do your research. The group members find out about the extent of your loved one’s problem do research about treatment programs. The group should make arrangements to sign your loved one into a specific treatment program. Gather the intervention team. The planning group puts together a team that will participate in the intervention. The groups will set a date and location and work together to present a consistent, clear message and a structured plan for treatment. Non-family members should help keep the discussion focused on the facts of the problem and possible solutions rather than jumping in with strong emotional responses. Don’t tip off your loved one until the day of the intervention. Who should be on the intervention team? Most intervention teams are usually comprised of about four to six people, all of whom are important in the life of your loved one. These are typically people your loved one loves, likes, respects or depends on. Examples include best friends, adult relatives or a member of your loved one’s faith. Your intervention counselor can help you put together that list. Confronting an addict is difficult enough, so extra care should be taken to assemble the right intervention team. Generally, you want to avoid anyone who:

• Your loved one dislikes
• Has mental health issues or substance abuse problems of their own
• May not be able to limit what he or she says to what you agreed on during the planning meeting
• Might sabotage the intervention

If you think it’s important to have someone involved but worry that it may create a problem during the intervention, consider having that person write a short letter that someone else can read at the drug intervention. Carefully decide the specific consequences. If your loved one doesn’t accept treatment, each person on the team needs to decide what action he or she will take. The consequences need to be dramatic. Telling your loved one they can’t come over for holiday dinners isn’t very dramatic. Telling a loved one that they must move out is dramatic. or example, you may decide to ask your loved one to move out. Prepare your pitch. Each team member needs to have handy a list of specific incidents where the addiction caused problems, such as emotional or financial issues. Discuss the impact of these behaviors and reinforce your love for the addict by reminding him that you believe change is possible. It’s difficult for an addict to argue with facts or with your emotional response to the problem. Conduct the intervention meeting. Try to pick a time when the addict is likely to be sober. Addicts tend to have a pattern and knowing this pattern will help you hone in on the best time of day to conduct the intervention. When it’s time, get your loved one to the intervention site by whatever means necessary, even if requires tricking him. Once the addict is at the meeting, the members of the team jump in and will take turns expressing their concerns and feelings. Once this is laid out for your loved one, it’s decision time: you provide a treatment option and asked to accept that option on the spot. If there’s any resistance, each of the intervention team member will lay out what specific changes he or she will make if your loved one doesn’t accept the plan. Don’t threaten a consequence unless you’re serious about following through with it. Weakness is catastrophic to the chances for success. A successful intervention must be carefully planned carefully in order to have the greatest chance for success. Poorly planned interventions can make matters worse. Consult an addiction professional Talk with an addiction professional beforehand. In fact, if you call a Rehab center well before the intervention, chances are good that they will send an interventionist at little or no charge. Having a rehab/detox facility ready to accept your loved one increases the chances of success.  An addiction professional will take into account your loved one’s particular circumstances, suggest the best approach, and help guide you in what type of treatment and follow-up plan is likely to work best. Drug nterventions can be conducted without an intervention professional, but having an expert’s guidance is preferable. Sometimes the intervention occurs at the professional’s office. It may be especially important to have the professional attend the actual intervention to help you stay on track, especially if your loved one:

• Has any history of serious mental illness
• Has any history of violence
• Has shown suicidal behavior or recently talked about suicide
• May be taking several mood-altering substances

It’s very important to consult an intervention professional if you suspect your loved one may react violently or self-destructively. [contact-form-7 id=”586″ title=”Contact Us”]