Tips To Handle An Intervention For A Loved One

You have noticed your family member or friend battling with addiction for awhile and have considered taking the next step: staging an intervention. When contemplating an intervention for your loved one, there are many things to consider. You want the intervention to be successful for your spouse, child, or another cherished member in your family or circle of friends. The last thing you want is to create more tension and have it damage or potentially end a relationship. If you are considering taking the steps to an intervention, here are a few tips to help you get through such a delicate situation.

Find A Professional Outsider To Help

Though the topic of addiction is a very personal matter, you may want to consider finding someone who has a background in addiction to help moderate the situation. Seeking the help of a psychologist, family counselor, or professional interventionist for help with your loved one may seem uncomfortable at first, but it is surprising how effective an outsider’s view can be with a background in helping others with addiction. Ask the proper questions before you hire an interventionist, and find someone who seems the right fit for the job.

Prepare And Organize

Before staging an intervention you need to do the prep work. How can you get through to your loved one? Who do you want at the intervention and who don’t you want? Who is going to speak and in what order? Hiring a professional may help with some of these questions but you know your loved one the best and in what environment they will feel the most comfortable. You want your intervention with your loved one to be as successful as can be so you may want to not invite anyone who is enabling their addiction.

Prepare For Success…Or Failure

Of course, you want your intervention for a loved one to be successful and the good news is that the numbers are in your favor. According to Dr. Jerry Law, 80 percent of addicts seek rehab within 24 hours of the intervention, with the other 20 percent seeking treatment within a week. If they agree to get treatment, it’s important to understand what happens next. For alcohol addiction, they will likely need to go through medically-supervised detox first. This involves staying at a treatment facility for usually 3-7 days while the alcohol leaves their system. For some additional guidance, it wouldn’t hurt you to have a quick search on: detox from alcohol info. There are other types of detoxification processes as well, depending on the drug type consumed. After detox, your loved one can then focus on the psychological and behavioral aspects of recovery through counseling, group therapy, 12-step programs, and other treatment methods.

However, not all interventions succeed right away. Your loved one may refuse treatment or relapse after initially agreeing to go. This is frustrating but common – recovery is a long process. If your first intervention fails, don’t give up. You may need to have several more conversations and interventions before they agree to get help. Focus on offering empathy, support, and hope. With patience and compassion, you can guide your loved one onto the path of recovery.

Preparation is key when planning an intervention for a loved one. It is important to be not only prepared for the intervention process itself, but also for each family member to be prepared mentally and emotionally to go through such a delicate topic. Look into finding the help of a professional to moderate, organize and stage a comfortable and nurturing environment for the intervention, and be prepared to accept the outcome no matter what that is.