6 Tips for Staging an Alcohol Intervention

03 Feb 6 Tips for Staging an Alcohol Intervention

Be ready to present treatment options to your loved one and encourage them to go into treatment immediately. An intervention refers to a meeting or series of meetings in which concerned family members and friends come together to confront a loved one about their alcohol addiction. An intervention can be a surprise meeting, in which loved ones confront a person with an addiction, or it can be a planned meeting, that the loved one knows they will be attending.

• Treatment options can vary in intensity and scope, and they occur in various settings.
• In many cases, professional interventionists will rehearse the intervention to prepare for the intense moments and feelings all members of the intervention will likely share.
• One of the key components of staging a successful intervention is the setting of boundaries and consequences if the addict refuses help.
• It is always advised that an addiction professional be present through all stages of an intervention, though it may not always be possible.
• The focus is on building a supportive environment through open communication and positive reinforcement rather than direct confrontation.

Family System Intervention

• VeryWell Mind offers a similarly useful guide about the concept of defensiveness.
• Its purpose is to educate readers about what, for many, is the first step in addiction recovery, the intervention.
• An intervention should be performed when an individual’s substance use has caused pain to themselves or their loved ones.
• The perspective intervention team should attempt to find a professional interventionist who is qualified to assist them with the intervention.
• When considering an intervention to help a loved one struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, there are some important steps that can guide the process.
• Each treatment type has pros and cons you should consider before beginning the intervention.

If the subject of the intervention knows they have support as they enter medical detox and a comprehensive rehabilitation program, they are more likely to agree to treatment. They may ask the person to lead the intervention or simply seek guidance in planning the event. Professional assistance at any level can be extremely helpful, as an outside perspective can guide the process toward the most beneficial conclusion and keep everyone focused. Staging an intervention is a significant step in helping a loved one with a substance use disorder. You can increase the chances of success by understanding how to plan an intervention, using a well-thought-out example of an intervention plan, and employing effective intervention strategies. Remember, the goal is not to shame or punish, but to guide your loved one towards the help they need.

Have Treatment Options Lined Up

A family alcohol intervention can be the first step to recovery for all involved. If you are concerned about a family member’s alcoholism, please call us for support and assistance to help you have an intervention. The children and spouses of alcoholics suffer, too, because they often encounter disruptive behaviors, have unhealthy dynamics in the home, and worry about their loved ones. Read on to learn more on family intervention for alcoholism and how to do an intervention with a family member. If you’re seeking services for a loved one after an alcohol intervention, Confidant Health offers numerous options. We can provide online medication assisted treatment for alcohol use, as well as access to a recovery coach to help your loved one stay committed to treatment.

Types of Treatment

Confronting them without a clear course of action is unlikely to yield positive results. Enter your number below and one of the members of our admissions team will call you back shortly. Research shows that most people who have alcohol problems are able to reduce their drinking or quit entirely. Each of these fee-based tools has a research base that shows its potential to help people cut down or quit drinking. You will want to understand what will be asked of you in order to decide what treatment best suits your needs.

Once you’ve rehearsed what you’ll say, the next step is to choose the meeting time and location. You want the addict to feel like they’re going to a place that isn’t threatening, and it’s best to try to find a time when they’ll be sober. Regarding length, most interventions last around an hour, but that’s up to the people holding it.

Take the First Step Today

They are often undertaken when clinicians are concerned that excessive drinking could be present and/or be contributing to the patient’s current condition. Luckily, substance use is a highly treatable disorder and several medications can help a person wean off of illicit substances in a safe, sustained, and monitored manner. A drug abuse intervention can help someone realize that they have options and that they can recover safely and healthily. In some professional interventions, the counselor can take the person directly to the addiction treatment center after the intervention.

Resources and Support for Successful Intervention

View our editorial content guidelines to learn how we create helpful content with integrity and compassion. In addition alcoholism symptoms to managing a successful family medical practice, Dr. Hoffman is board certified in addiction medicine by the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM). Dr. Hoffman has successfully treated hundreds of patients battling addiction.

Additionally, these specialists can help to design an intervention strategy tailored to your loved one. They can help identify treatment options and facilitate the transport of your loved one to an alcohol or drug intervention program and treatment center as well. Interventions always include statements from loved ones about how a person’s addiction has hurt or harmed them. Drug and alcohol interventions include reasonable consequences, too (i.e. “I will stop giving you financial support if you don’t enter treatment”).

Without the guidance of a professional, there’s a low possibility the addict will make an effective decision on the treatment program. Doing it yourself also reduces the family’s ability to learn more about the addiction recovery process, letter-writing strategies, boundaries, objection handling, and manipulations. There are traditionally four types of interventions that are used to help those that may be struggling with a substance use disorder. The first two in the following list, crisis intervention, and brief intercession, are not traditional methods. Rather, they are methods used by medical professionals that how to do an alcohol intervention may only have a brief interaction with the person that they are treating. These are not as effective as the other four traditional methods that involve friends and family members.

• The next step in planning an intervention for alcoholism or drug abuse is to choose your intervention location.
• There are several intervention models for alcohol abuse that are equally effective.
• You may not even realize just how emotional and even combative an intervention can be, which is why it’s so important to be prepared and work with a professional if possible.
• The Recovery Village Atlanta offers a range of treatment options for someone who has agreed to enter treatment after an alcohol intervention.

Treatments Led by Health Care Providers

Helping a family bridge to their own recovery program is part of the intervention process. In an intervention, it is critical that people approach the person with love and genuine care. Some people may be tempted to yell at the alcoholic or insult him or her for his or her choices or behaviors. While honesty is encouraged, negativity aimed at the person can be counterproductive. For example, an alcoholic’s husband could talk about how worried he gets late at night when he’s not sure if his wife is still at the bar or if she was hurt on the way home.