Convincing a loved one to enter substance abuse treatment is not easy. Drug and alcohol interventions require effort from loved ones to support someone who is struggling with addiction. Poor performance in work or school may be the first indicator as well as shirking other responsibilities that addiction has taken over a person’s life. Interventions can help people who are in financial or possible legal trouble as well.
Goals of an Intervention
Very often some important goals and strategies are assembled to support a family who is conducting an intervention. The first goal is to help a person with addiction realize what the addiction is doing to the person and everyone around them. Another goal is to get the person with addiction to stop self-destructive behavior.
Getting Started
An alcohol and drug intervention is complex filled with lots of steps. Try the following to help get started in setting up an intervention:
- Meet with a professional interventionist who understands how to cope with addictions, plan, and stage interventions.
- Plan the intervention including who will participate, where it will be held and when. Everyone should decide beforehand what will be said to the loved one with addiction
- Plan what to say by writing it down and practicing beforehand. A few intervention rehearsals should help with the intervention and prepare people prior to meeting
An intervention is a challenging time for all involved. The loved ones want to see a person get better and heal from addiction but he or she may not going to readily admit the need for help straight away. It can take a few times of confrontation for some people to decide to quit using drugs or alcohol. For this reason, it is best not to get one’s hopes up during the intervention but remain hopeful. Also, a person who receives an intervention should have somewhere to go right after the intervention. If he or she chooses to attend the family should work with the interventionist to set up a place to attend treatment as soon as the meeting ends. This takes the guess work away from the person and also makes them responsible for starting treatment then and there.
Do not despair if the intervention does not go as planned. All the planning and help in the world coordinating it can still result in challenges. Be prepared for the person to feel upset at first with the confrontation. With the right help and support of loved ones, the individual may decide to attend treatment and give up addiction. However, family and friends need to remain calm, cool and collected throughout the intervention in order to provide a safe space for the person to feel heard and everyone to feel good about the outcome. Doing this can help create a successful space for the individual to desire recovery as an option.
Cypress Lakes understands the challenge of confronting a loved one about substance abuse and addiction. We work with many interventionists nationally whom we can connect you with to provide treatment suggestions to guide you through the process. We provide many services to support a loved one with treatment of addiction. Call us to find out more: 877-938-1577