Watching a loved one abuse drugs or alcohol can be difficult, even heartbreaking. So often, a person suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction will deny or minimize their problem. But what addiction sufferers and families must remember is that addiction is a chronic condition. Without treatment, it’s frequently a progressive condition too. That means that it is likely to worsen without addiction treatment.
In order to convince a loved one to seek help for their addiction, you and other family members and close friends may wish to stage an intervention. An intervention is a formal process that may or may not include a trained interventionist where the family confronts their loved one in order to educate them about substance addiction and why it’s crucial for them to seek treatment right away.
Not all people are amenable to the idea of entering rehab and not all interventions go smoothly. Confrontations can become emotional and discussions can end in full-blown arguments. Here, we’ll explore how to successfully stage an intervention so that it doesn’t veer off the rails. Many addiction sufferers do become convinced of the necessity for rehab after an intervention. With high-quality treatment, individuals can learn to manage their addictions and repair their lives in the process.
What Type of Intervention Should You Stage?
There are options when it comes to the type of intervention you may wish to stage. Some families are uncomfortable with the confrontational style of traditional addiction interventions. There are other avenues to pursue. For instance, some families may opt to convey their thoughts and concerns in letter form, allowing a professional interventionist to handle the educational aspect of these events.
Some families dislike the idea of inviting too many members to participate. An individual can easily feel “ganged up on” during a large group meeting. By discussing the various invention styles with rehab professionals or a trained interventionist, you can develop a plan for meeting with your loved one.
Should We Invite an Interventionist to Stage the Intervention?
Many families prefer to invite an interventionist to their gathering, allowing an expert to manage the entire process. Often, this is a good idea as an interventionist has experience with these types of confrontations and knows how to conduct these meetings amidst volatile emotions. In families where emotions do run high, there is a risk that the individual will simply leave and refuse to participate in the meeting.
When you work with an interventionist, you can get the help you need to plan an intervention that has a real chance to work. You know your loved one and an interventionist understands the process of educating a person and helping families convince them to seek help for their addiction. Aside from an interventionist, you might also invite a therapist, counselor, or social worker to lead your intervention.
Some families do prefer to stage an intervention on their own. These, too, can be successful. However, it’s important to keep the focus on encouraging the person to seek help. It’s not the time to address wrongs or mistakes. The first priority is getting your loved one help.
Intervention Goals
The ultimate goal of an intervention is to convince your loved one to enter rehab right away. Ideally, they should enter rehab that day or the next before they have a chance to change their mind. A successful intervention is also one where families are able to express their feelings and love in a safe and calm atmosphere. Tension and anger can cause an intervention to fail.
The truth is that negative responses are commonplace. Your loved one may initially feel upset or even ambushed by their family’s confrontation to what they may feel is their private business. It takes patience, understanding, and sincerity to successfully express concern for a loved one’s well-being. Many interventions begin bumpily but end up successful because participants stuck to their plan and remained calm while expressing their concerns.
Plan Beforehand
Winging an intervention isn’t a good idea. An intervention is a serious request made by a family to a loved one to enter treatment. But where is the treatment center? When does treatment begin? Does the rehab accept your loved one’s insurance plan? Who is going to look after your loved one’s pets or plants? Who is going to escort your loved one to rehab? Does the rehab have a room ready?
Once you decide to stage an intervention, it’s important to plan all the particulars. Meet with an addiction treatment center or rehab that you want your loved one to enter. It’s important to choose one that offers high-quality addiction treatment. You can contact the rehab and they can address all of these questions with you, helping you nail down your plan.
Your loved one is likely to have many excuses for not attending rehab right away. Anticipate their reasons for refusing to go. Make it difficult for them to put off treatment. When all of their concerns are settled for them, it will be that much easier for them to say yes to treatment in the end. In the best situations, you or someone else will leave the intervention and drive your loved one to rehab where they can begin the process of detox and subsequent therapies designed to help them manage their addiction and achieve lasting recovery.
Don’t Wait to Help Your Loved One Get the Treatment They Need
Alcohol and drug addiction are serious conditions that can be life-threatening. The sooner you stage an intervention, the sooner your loved ones can get the help they need to stop abusing drugs or alcohol. ReAlign Detox specializes in medical detox and addiction treatment. We accept major insurance plans and have a reputation for providing individualized care for our clients.
The road to recovery begins with clinically supervised detox. Recovery is a long process, but it begins the moment a person enters rehab to begin addiction treatment. Contact us if you need assistance planning your intervention or want to make arrangements for your loved one to enter our facility. We can discuss all of your questions and provide you with the information you need to stage your successful addiction intervention.