Drug and alcohol Intervention
Intervention for drug or alcohol abuse is defined as a planned attempt either by a group or an individual (usually family and friends) to get professional help for a loved one with an addiction. Often the individual who needs help does not know about the intervention. That is to say, the intervention is kept secret until the moment of disclosure when the loved one who needs help is taken to a facility or place where professional treatment is received. This secrecy is generally important due to the fact that most individuals struggling with drug and/or alcohol abuse rarely comply with such drastic measures knowing they will no longer be allowed to drink or use drugs.
Many feel anxious and fearful of intervening in their loved one’s behalf when there is an alcohol or drug abuse problem. Often, the biggest misunderstanding that happens with families and spouses in regard to interventions for their loved ones is the tendency to wait and hope and pray that their loved one can somehow get better on their own. Further, many people misunderstand that the right time for an intervention is after their loved one has already hit “rock bottom.” Often, at this point, it is too late and loved ones don’t make it into recovery. Also, even if these individuals who have hit “rock bottom” do pull through from a late stage intervention, they still have return to confront the damage they caused along the way.
With careful preparation and planning, completing an intervention will help your loved one get the help they need. The National Intervention for Drugs and alcohol (NIDA) recommends that individuals do not wait to help their loved ones. They advocate that “time is the enemy” and encourage getting help for your loved one before times runs out.
Love First’s Clinical Interventionist, Jeff Jay discusses the importance of being prepared for the intervention in his intervention checklist (https://lovefirst.net/wpt/intervention/). He stresses the importance of having a group of people who are important to the individual and are willing to help. He talks about writing letters to the loved one that they can have after intervention to understand and feel your love for them and to outline all of the things you helped them do or watched them do before intervention that did not end successfully. Also, he notes that it is key to not allow the individual to become aware of the intervention before it happens. He indicates to make any necessary appointments, plane or other transportation arrangements so the plan can run smoothly. Also, complete intake paperwork and have some answers ready for when the individual attempts to talk you out of intervention. And, he says to ask the treatment center you are using to help you pack a bag for the individual and make sure you have a list of any medications they are taking. Again, preparation is central to success.
Intervention may seem drastic or even frightening. However, without it your loved one may not get better. If they could have successfully recovered on their own chances are they would have already done it. Addiction is a very powerful enemy that is often too hard to try and defeat alone without intervention and/or professional help. That doesn’t imply that your loved one is weak, it just indicates that they are no match to fight their physical addiction by themselves.
For more information on Intervention, visit Intervention Services Inc.