If someone you love — your child, your spouse, or even your co-worker — suffers from the obvious signs of a substance use disorder, it may be time to intervene. Drug and alcohol addictions are sometimes more obvious to family members than they are to the person who’s affected. For this reason, staging an intervention may be a way to help your loved one realize just how much they need professional medical care.
What Is an Intervention?
In most instances, an intervention takes place in a safe space, guided by a neutral third party. Generally, friends and family members of the client gather for the purpose of intervening in the loved one’s failure to seek an addiction treatment program. The client is invited into the safe space, usually under false pretenses, and encouraged to listen to what those who care about them have to say. Consequently, topics covered when staging an intervention may include:
- Why the gathering is taking place
- What the people gathered are hoping to achieve
- How one person’s addiction is affecting every other person in the room
- What options are available for recovery
- How recovery needs to begin right away
The purpose of staging an intervention is to get the loved one who suffers from substance use disorder into treatment that day. Therefore, for an intervention to be successful, it must usually end with the client admitting themselves into treatment on the spot. Usually, this means a friend or family member takes them directly from the intervention to the drug and alcohol treatment center with no stops between.
What Are the Steps to Staging an Intervention?
Staging an intervention takes careful planning. It also takes the help of a moderator, usually an interventionist. This could be a family pastor, a licensed counselor, or another medical professional. Generally, it’s the job of the interventionist to ensure the meeting proceeds positively toward an effective ending.
A second important step to staging an intervention includes gathering people who care about the client and who the client cares about in return. These are the people who may be the most persuasive because of the emotional connection.
Lastly, those involved in the intervention must choose the actions they’ll take if the loved one refuses to enter treatment. We call these consequences, and they often include such actions as:
- Asking the person to move out
- Cutting the person off financially
- Separating from the person if they’re a spouse
Consequences may range from mild to severe, depending upon the feelings of the person who sets them. However, all should be aimed at helping encourage the client to seek treatment for addiction.
Should I Have Addiction Treatment Options Ready?
Yes. It’s important to have addiction treatment options prepared before the intervention takes place. As a result, the person with the addiction can go directly into a treatment facility at the conclusion of the intervention. Options may include outpatient care, residential treatment, partial hospitalization, or more. The important takeaway from an intervention is that the loved one in question should begin treatment that very day.
Bringing Your Loved One to Atlantic Recovery Center for Treatment
Atlantic Recovery Center serves the South Florida area and provides an excellent level of care for those recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Therefore, at the conclusion of your intervention, encourage your loved one to try us for treatment.
Staging an Intervention
Clients who choose Atlantic Recovery Center benefit from highly experienced treatment staff, cozy and homelike accommodations, and a full range of therapeutic options to treat mind, body, and spirit. We’ve helped hundreds of clients win in the battle against addiction, and we can help your loved one as well. Call us today at 1-866-824-5193 to learn more about the addiction treatment options available at Atlantic Recovery Center.