Drug and Alcohol Intervention

Drug and Alcohol Intervention

If you’re tired of watching a loved one struggle with drug or alcohol addiction, an intervention could help them to access the support and treatment they need. But what exactly is an intervention and how do you stage one?

Here, we explain everything you need to know.

What is a Drug or Alcohol Intervention?

A drug or alcohol intervention is when a friend or family member of someone struggling with addiction takes proactive steps to help or persuade the person to seek out treatment.

An intervention is most commonly used when someone either doesn’t recognise they have a substance use disorder or are unwilling to get help.

Watching a family member or friend struggle with addiction can be scary and upsetting. It’s likely the addiction is taking a toll on their health, relationships, career and family goals so if they are unwilling to do anything about their substance use, it can be very upsetting.

Interventions are very effective in those situations where the individual can’t see how destructive their behaviour is. The combined efforts of loved ones coming together to urge an individual to get help can be a very powerful way of expressing a message to them.

How do Addiction Interventions Work?

Addiction interventions need to be carefully thought out with specific steps taken to ensure the success of it. This includes:

• Planning – If you’ve decided that an intervention is best for your loved one, you need to propose the idea to other friends and family members. You might also want to get help from a professional such as the team at Action Rehab. Intervention plans aren’t done overnight, they require time and precision to get it right. Decide who will be involved and when you want to intervene.
• Research – With the intervention team in place, you need to gather information about your loved one’s problem. Research their addiction and treatment programmes and discuss the impact of the problem on their life and also your own. As a group, you should also consider what it is that you want out of their recovery.
• Decisions – It’s important to remember that your loved one might refuse intervention so you need to have a list of consequences, agreed, in place. Either way, the intervention group must be on the same page and agree with all specific consequences concerning their future as a part of the family.

• Meeting – It’s important that your loved one doesn’t know about the intervention. Without revealing the reason why, ask your loved one to attend the specific intervention site, it might even be someone’s home. When they arrive, sit them down with the rest of the intervention team and go through your concerns, feelings and wishes. You should have already outlined what each of you will say. Finish your intervention by outlining a preferred treatment option as well as any consequences if they refuse. Ask for a decision to be made there and then.
• Support – Recovery isn’t an easy journey and the support of family members and friends will be crucial for your loved one. Offer to take them to therapy sessions, help them to change their lifestyle patterns or even seek the help of a professional therapist for them. Regularly checking in with your loved one will help to reiterate that you are there for them and that they’re not alone.

One of the biggest considerations during an intervention is to not make your loved one feel like they are being attacked, judged, blamed or isolated. A poorly planned intervention can actually worsen the situation and make someone even more resistant to treatment. The main objective of staging an addiction intervention is to highlight that you know your loved one needs support and that you are willing to help them to get it.

How to Carry Out an Alcohol or Drug Intervention

Careful planning on an intervention is essential for its success. You might find these tips help during the process:

#1 Bare in mind that smaller intervention groups work the best so be mindful over who you invite to the intervention group

#2 Make sure to invite people into the intervention group that your loved one has a good relationship with

#3 Remember that those in the intervention group should be willing to play a role in your loved one’s recovery and treatment

#4 Encourage everyone in the group to be non-judgemental and to speak with compassion

#5 Remind everyone in the group that the aim is to encourage your loved one to access treatment and therefore any criticism should be left out of the conversation

#6 Be ready to be met with anger or even resistance from your loved one

#7 Enlist the help of a professional to support your intervention planning such as the team at Action Rehab

Supporting a Loved One Through a Substance Abuse Intervention

The best types of intervention are the ones that are led by an individual’s family or close friends. After all, if the intervention group is made up of people that the person loves, respects or even depends on, they are more likely to listen to what they’ve got to say.

Both the intervention and recovery require a team of people who have the individual’s best interests at heart and are able to support the individual through the entire process. You shouldn’t include anyone that you think will be a problem during the process.

This is because alcohol and drug intervention and the recovery process aren’t easy. They are emotionally charged situations with many obstacles along the way. Your loved one needs to know they are being supported and this can also be essential at helping them to stay on the right track.

Contact our Addiction Helpline for Help

At Action Rehab, our advisory helpline can support family intervention for drug addiction and alcohol addiction. Not only can we advise on the best course of action but we can discuss what to expect, answer your questions and also suggest private rehab around the UK for drug and alcohol abuse.

In fact, we work with leading alcohol rehab centres and drug rehab facilities to help individuals and their families to regain control of their loves. So, if you have any questions about alcohol and drug intervention or perhaps want to know what treatment is out there, get in touch with our friendly team today.