Staging a Family Intervention for Drug or Alcohol Addiction
Staging a family intervention can be done in two ways: with help from a professional family interventionist or without help from a professional interventionist.
It is recommended to hire a professional interventionist whenever possible as it increases the chances of success by convincing the addict to attend drug rehab.
Anyone who struggles with addiction is often in denial about their situation and likely unwilling to seek treatment or ask for help. People addicted to drugs may not recognize their behavior’s negative effects on themselves and the people around them. An adequately staged family intervention helps them recognize this and gets them to accept help.
The Family Intervention Process—How To
There are many steps involved with planning and staging a family intervention. Whether this is done with a professional interventionist or without, some of the general steps are as follows:
Develop a plan
Someone within the family unit proposes an intervention of some sort. It is best to consult with a qualified professional as an intervention is a highly charged situation, which can quickly go off the rails without proper planning.
Gather information and details
It is important to determine the extent of the addiction and understand what substance use is. In addition, it is crucial to explore treatment options and initiate arrangements with a drug rehab program.
Put together an intervention team
The intervention team consists of individuals who are not antagonistic toward the addict and someone who the addict may look up to. The team should not consist of anyone who is enabling the addict. Once the team is set, they will decide on a date, time, and place to perform the intervention. Do not let the person know what is happening until the day of the intervention.
Decide on consequences
Suppose the person does not accept help when offered; each team member must decide what action they will take, for example, not paying bills, losing their job, or not being able to see their kids.
Compose and rehearse everything
Everything that is said during the intervention is pre-planned, written down, and rehearsed. Each team member will have written an impact letter to read to the addict. Every person has a role to play in ensuring the intervention operates smoothly. If this is done without a professional interventionist, one individual is selected to be the moderator.
Hold the intervention meeting
Each member of the team takes turns expressing their concerns and feelings, reading exactly what they wrote in their intervention letter. The intervention should take place somewhere that is unfamiliar to the addict. In addition, the bags should already be packed, transportation to the drug rehab center arranged, and someone available to escort the person to treatment.
The Benefit of a Professional Interventionist
There are significant benefits to hiring a professional interventionist. These individuals have the training, experience, and expertise to prepare a family for intervention. In addition, they act as counselors to help families manage problems with enabling or co-dependency.
Family interventionists travel across the country performing interventions. They also help the family bring their loved one to treatment and follow up with the family when they are in their rehabilitation program.
The chance of success increases significantly, and the family has a better chance of helping their loved one when they hire a professional interventionist.
