Interventions

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An intervention is a process in which you come together with friends and family to approach a loved one about their drug or alcohol addiction. As a group, you help the addicted individual recognize the negative effects their substance use has had on those around them.

It’s important to approach the intervention from a place of compassion, open communication, understanding, and patience. The ultimate goal is to motivate your loved one to make a positive change and convince them to enroll in a substance abuse treatment program. It is also an opportunity to let your loved one know that you will no longer enable their addictive behavior.

Why Is an Intervention Important?

An intervention helps an addicted person acknowledge their issues and accept help from outside treatment resources. It is an effort to build on love and concern for someone who is experiencing a drug or alcohol addiction. Working together, an intervention can help refocus your family member’s recovery efforts.

Who Is Involved in an Intervention?

It is important to carefully choose who participates in the drug intervention. It should be five or six people who are caring and willing to participate fully. This can include close family members, friends, and coworkers. If possible, select people who have a genuine relationship with your loved one and positively influence them. Anyone struggling with substance use issues should not be included.

It’s also helpful to consult with someone who has professional experience with interventions. This may be a counselor trained in alcohol and drug use who is not emotionally connected to your family member.  Some addiction treatment centers can even offer the support of a trained interventionist.

An interventionist has the knowledge and experience to prepare you and your family members for a successful intervention. They can recommend the best approach and even facilitate the conversation or mediate to keep emotions under control.

This person can help arrange for treatment if the person agrees to get help. This is an extremely helpful step, as many people may avoid seeking treatment because they aren’t sure which program to choose or what to look for in a program.

How to Prepare for an Intervention

There are specific steps to follow in preparing for an intervention. You and the other members of the intervention group will meet to discuss the important factors to keep in mind during the drug intervention. These include:^1,5

Craft a Plan

Set a schedule for a specific time of day and location. Learn about substance use, addiction, and recovery. Meet with a substance use counselor or interventionist, if that’s part of your plan.

Write an Impact Statement

Each person attending should write a letter to read aloud to the person in the intervention. In the letter, they should say something about the person’s struggles with addiction. These personal statements should detail how the addiction has harmed them and those around them. Written statements about the impact on relationships can help the person with addiction understand that their drug use affects more than just themselves.

Offer Help

Those attending the intervention should be willing to support the decision for the individual to pursue detox, rehabilitation, and recovery. It is important to plan for the best-case scenario involving your loved one. At the same time, it is also important to realize that your family member may refuse help. You should not pressure them or shame them into treatment.

Set Boundaries

If your loved one refuses treatment, relationships must change. Commit to ending co-dependency and enabling. Be clear about the consequences of refusal. Establish a reasonable bottom line.

Follow Through

If the person accepts help, it is important to be ready to follow through with that help. Otherwise, the person may not enter a rehab program, and trust between you could be broken.

Rehearse

Practice the intervention at least once before the actual event so that you feel comfortable. Go through what you want to say, and think about possible responses you might receibe.

What Happens During an Intervention?

On the day of the intervention, the group will meet with the family member who has an addiction. If a professional interventionist is present, they will be introduced. Then, each member of the group will read their impact statement. The instructions for the addicted person will request that they listen to each statement completely before responding.

Start with love and support. Describe specific behaviors that have occurred that have negatively affected each one. These may include:

• Impaired driving
• Arrests
• Missed family functions
• Missed work
• Reduced contributions at home

During your discussion, try to detail the physical consequences of the person’s addiction. Emotional and financial damage may not be enough. It will help support your arguments with facts about the negative impact of continuing substance use on their physical health as well.

Then, you can discuss how treatment works and what to expect. State the consequences that may occur if the individual refuses to pursue treatment. At the end of the drug intervention, you will ask your loved one to respond to the request to enter treatment within 48 hours.

How to Respond During a Drug Intervention

As challenging as an intervention can be, there are several things you can do to provide the best chance at getting your loved one to agree to enter treatment. When you are holding an intervention, it is important to be honest, genuine, and compassionate. They’re in a lot of pain and need your sensitivity to cope.

Your family member may react negatively and become defensive and angry. They may attempt to justify their behavior or give excuses about why now is not a good time to enter treatment. They may also deny that they have an addiction or need help.

When you respond to them, remember to speak from the heart, offering love and support. Talk about addiction as a condition that is treatable. Remind your family member that they are not a bad person but have an addiction that needs help.

Express yourself calmly and constructively without anger or judgment. Express concerns for your loved ones and how you want them to live a healthy, happy life free of drug and alcohol abuse. Offer support to your loved ones as they begin a journey of recovery. Let them know that you are there for them every step of the way.

Use “I” statements to avoid attacking the person, such as “I feel upset” or “I feel worried.” It is important to avoid being accusatory. Be genuine and honest during the intervention. Remain calm during the intervention so that the goals can be achieved and the person can get help.

What Not to Do

Do not shame or blame your loved one. You need to emphasize your love and support for the individual and that you want them to get help. Do not bring up past behaviors that your loved one has committed. You don’t want them to feel alienated or persecuted.

Do not accept excuses from your loved one. Stick to the bottom line you established before the intervention. Agreeing to negotiations and accepting excuses will not be helpful. Make sure you do not label your loved one as an alcoholic or an addict, as these terms can be stigmatizing. Instead, use specific examples of behaviors and their negative effects on your life.

What Happens After an Intervention?

After the intervention, the person can decide to enter treatment or reject the opportunity. If they refuse, then the family and friends who arranged the intervention must carry through with the consequences of that refusal. This may mean not allowing the person to live at the family home, cutting off financial support, or any other consequences that you outlined.

The other choice that your loved one can make is to accept help with their addiction. If that is the decision, the person needs to be ready to begin treatment within 48 hours. If they choose to enter a treatment program, your family member will spend time going through detoxification and treatment for their addiction.⁷

Detox

Before the intervention, family and friends, along with any intervention professional, will choose a detox program to help manage unpleasant withdrawal symptoms and medically stabilize your loved one. Detox is essential because withdrawal symptoms from a drug can be extremely uncomfortable and even dangerous, depending on the substance.

Detox is the first step in the recovery process. Continued treatment is necessary to make long-lasting changes and address the root causes of the addiction.

Drug Treatment Programs

Addiction treatment programs occur on an inpatient or outpatient basis. During inpatient programs, your loved one will live on-site for the duration of the program, which can help them focus solely on their recovery without the distractions of their at-home environment.

Outpatient programs involve attending therapy at a facility and then returning home in the evening. Regardless of the setting, a drug treatment program will include several important components, such as:

• Individual therapy: This involves working with a therapist to help someone understand the reasons behind their substance use. It also helps replace negative drug-seeking behaviors with healthier behaviors.
• Group therapy: A therapist facilitates a group counseling session in which people work on sober social skills and drug refusal skills. People also share their stories related to substance use and support one another.
• Family therapy: A person’s family is their support system, and relationship issues need to be addressed. Family therapy can help people work out their differences and rebuild connections.

If a family member is struggling with a substance use disorder and you want to help them find treatment, we can help. Call 800-681-1058 (Sponsored) to learn more.