How to Intervention Drug Addiction

What is an Intervention?

An intervention for addiction is an organized confrontation with a loved one about their drug or alcohol abuse. It can involve anyone (family, friends, coworkers) who has a relationship with the person struggling. They then use the opportunity to express how the person’s addiction has affected them. An intervention is not a form of addiction treatment but often a means of persuading a drug or alcohol addict to seek treatment from a rehab facility. 

These are emotionally charged affairs that can be difficult for the addicted person and those who staged the intervention for addiction. Interventions are typically reserved as a last-ditch effort to motivate someone to seek treatment. They are not restricted to drug and alcohol addicts, and intentions can be used to confront a person about any debilitating behavior.

A substance use disorder is a medical illness characterized by clinically significant impairments in health, social function, and voluntary control over substance use.

How to Plan an Intervention for a Drug Addict

Anyone close to a long-term alcoholic or drug addict knows that getting someone to quit is tough. Denial is a powerful force that keeps a tight physical and mental grasp on its habitual users. Ready to approach them to get help? It would help if you had the right strategy–and the proper steps. The best way to go about such a sensitive topic is to work with a seasoned interventionist like one of ours at We Level Up addiction treatment center.

Do’s

• Be specific about times they have put themselves or others into harm, danger, or emotional turmoil
• Be concise and direct; decide for yourself that you will no longer be involved with the family member as long as he or she is acting out the addiction. This means leaving the relationship until they agree to enter into treatment
• Have a treatment plan in place
• Follow through on your word if they decline treatment
• Contact one of our professional interventionists and bring together all the people who are affected and hurt by the situation, love the individual, and are willing to stop contact with the addicted person until he or she goes into a treatment center or gets some other form of help
• Communicate openly with the professional to help stifle your need to control the situation, enable the afflicted, or be overly judgemental
• Accept the person as he or she is; understand that the addiction will continue, and learn to take care of yourself within the situation

Steps Involved in an Intervention for Addiction

Only about 1 in 10 people with a substance use disorder receive any specialty treatment. [2] Most treatment has occurred in specialty substance use disorder treatment programs with little involvement by primary or general health care. However, a shift is occurring to mainstream the delivery of early intervention for addiction and treatment services into general health care practice.

Step 1: Get Help

The first step in orchestrating an intervention for addiction is contacting an intervention specialist. Your We Level Up addiction services counselor will walk you through the planning process to minimize the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes. Here is some guidance on how to do an intervention.

Do’s

Step 2: Form the Intervention Team

Once you hire an interventionist, they will be able to advise you on the best practices for making the event go smoothly. Your interventionist may tell you the optimal times and places to hold the event based on your and the individual’s needs. In general, it is best to keep the drug/alcohol intervention early in the day or at a time when the addict is less likely to be drunk or high.

Holding the event at a neutral, familiar location is also advised. But remember, interventions are about the individual, so each situation differs, as does everyone. Some intervention groups might include children, grandparents, and other members of the family. However, children and the elderly must be prepared for extreme moments during the confrontation.

Step 3: Make a Plan

Next, an intervention specialist will familiarize participating family members or loved ones with substance abuse and addiction recovery. Knowledge and understanding can help provide insights the intervention party can use to persuade someone they need help. Finally, friends and family must rehearse and prepare for the intervention for addiction with their intervention specialist.

Friends and family can help initiate a “moment of clarity” by describing ways the addicted person has damaged them. These stories should be pre-written and examined by intervening members before the intervention. This includes preparing a specific day, time of day, location, and guest list. It also consists of an outline of how the method will work and what everyone will say. This is the comprehensive guide to the event.

Step 4: Gather Information

Learn about substance use disorder and the recovery process. Gather information about drug and alcohol detox and rehab programs, especially those that suit the personality and needs of the person struggling with addiction.

Step 5: Write Impact Statements

 Everyone at the intervention for addiction should have something to say about the person’s struggles with addiction. Written statements about the impact on relationships can help the person struggling with drug or alcohol abuse to understand that their battle does not affect them alone. There is no place for personal attacks in these statements.

Step 8: Rehearse

Emotions run high concerning substance abuse and addiction. To avoid taking too much time, accusing the loved one, or falling into self-pity, rehearse the whole intervention for addiction with everyone at least once before it happens. Then, each team member will know what to say, when they will speak, and when to cede the floor.

Step 9: Manage Expectations

An intervention for addiction does not always assure admission to a treatment program. If your first conversation doesn’t seem to change anything, you can never know the impact it will have on their head. It might take 2 or 20 attempts before you make a breakthrough, and even once your loved one does enter a drug and alcohol treatment program, this does not guarantee long-term sobriety. Relapse is always a possibility. There may be times when your loved ones will want to give up themselves, and they may need you to keep trying for the both of you. Don’t give up. You and your love are powerful.

Step 10: Follow Up

You cannot control or predict how your loved one will react when confronted. Intervention specialists have professional experience calming hostile environments. Their presence is vital to keeping interventions as peaceful and effective as possible. Whether the person gets help or not, it is essential to support statements made during the intervention for addiction. Otherwise, the person may experience extreme stress, which could slow their rehabilitation process, lead to relapse, or exacerbate substance abuse problems.

Things to Avoid at an Intervention for Addiction

Don’ts

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If you think someone you love is struggling with addiction, you must try to get them help. And although it can be tough to come to terms with the fact that someone you love is struggling with addiction, it can save their life. You may even resort to denial and look the other way when you see the warning signs. There’s also a chance you have no idea how to get your loved ones the help they need, which is expected. One of the best ways to motivate your loved one to begin the road to recovery is through an intervention for an addiction like the one we’ve discussed here.

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