It can be intimidating to stage a successful intervention because, at its core, it’s a life-saving practice. Sitting someone down to directly discuss substance abuse is frightening. Most people avoid conflict, and by its very nature, a successful intervention calls for a difficult conversation.
The secret to a successful intervention is planning. It will be much easier for your loved one to start the road to recovery if you are mindful of the environment, other people, their words, and their behavior. At GateHouse Treatment, we’ve compiled advice to make it much easier to give your loved one the push they need toward a healthier life.
1. Locate an Intervention Professional
An intervention may not be the lowest point of someone’s life, sometimes called “rock bottom,” but that is how it is meant to feel. Consider how you would respond if your loved ones came together to inform you that your life needed to change. The participants of an intervention will experience a range of emotions, including astonishment, betrayal, rage, and despair.
Because of this, professionals recommend interventions for people who reject all attempts at treatment or refuse to acknowledge they have a problem. Remember that it is an act of love rather than a confrontation. It’s the people in an addict’s life who come together to inspire positive change. The first step in any effective intervention is to contact a drug intervention professional. Since this is a delicate time, an expert’s management will increase the chance that an intervention will make an impact.
An intervention manager acts as a third party to avoid hostility. They ensure everyone is aware of and compassionate about the problems associated with substance abuse.
2. Assemble The Best Intervention Team
Now that you and a professional have determined it is the right course of action, it’s time to choose the right people to join you for an intervention. To begin with, anyone with an active substance problem or who has recently taken drugs with the target of the intervention should not be a team member. The person you are trying to help with will feel unfairly singled out and may lash out in protest.
The successful intervention team should include close friends, family, or the older children of the individual you are trying to help. It’s crucial to invite the individuals who matter the most, those who the addict looks up to or who provide financial support.
The personalities of certain persons are not suitable for intervention. They can have a short fuse or not fully understand the drug rehabilitation process, viewing addiction as a weakness and moral failing instead of a mental health issue. This lack of empathy can ruin an intervention, as it might become a hostile scolding instead of the groundwork for a better life. You may have to decide not to ask someone to participate if they have a history of acting aggressively against the addict.
Remember that a good intervention makes the addict feel supported and loved. Instead of being resentful, they must feel the pull to improve their life for themselves and others.
3. Draft an Intervention Letter
The second stage to a successful intervention is to have each person draft a letter outlining how they feel about the addict and their disorder. The purpose behind letter drafting is to avoid awkwardness and miscommunication. Communication can be challenging when there are strong feelings and complex topics to discuss effectively. The letter acts as a road map to productive conversation to prevent this and ensure everyone on the team is pursuing the same objective.
A typical successful intervention letter will start with a heartfelt declaration of love. You may begin with, “I adore you. You are one of the most significant persons in my life, and knowing you makes every day happier.” You can provide specific information about your relationship with this person, such as an aspect of them that brings you joy or a wonderful, shared memory. This reminiscence can start the intervention on the right foot, making the target more susceptible to listening.
After that, the letter’s tone will focus on the addict’s harmful behavior. Instead of being accusatory or using derogatory language, explaining how their situation has impacted them, you, and the rest of the world is essential. It’s crucial to be direct, incisive, strong, and unambiguous. Be precise and highlight instances where the addiction had adverse effects, mentioning specific events and the emotional fallout they may have caused. Unhealthy behavior must be called out in unambiguous terms as it is the focus of the intervention.
Never allow things to escalate to the point where the intervention gets personal. Using medical terminology to frame your arguments is a crucial strategy. Make it evident that their acts when under the influence are not representative of who they are at their core. Instead, they have an addiction, a treatable condition that requires love and support. This will help the addict remember that even wonderful people experience bad days.
Before the intervention ends, ask them to consent to therapy. GateHouse Treatment can assist you in determining the correct level of care for your loved one. A successful intervention concludes with a call to action.
If the addict’s condition has spiraled out of control or they have repeatedly neglected to address it and abandoned responsibility, the letter might contain a demand. If-then statements will convey the severity of the situation, such as “If you don’t enroll in therapy, then you will not be welcome in my house any longer.” Another effective tactic is telling the addict that the family will withdraw financial support. Not every letter needs conditions, but if the addict has shown they are not open to change, it’s a valuable tactic to ensure a successful intervention.
4. Practice for a Successful Intervention
Rehearsing is essential to the effectiveness of interventions, even if each one will be unique. During a rehearsal, family members can exchange letters and learn more about the illness from one another. This process will reduce animosity on the day of the intervention and ensure everyone shares a collective mission. This collaboration will be a crucial component of all successful interventions.
Choosing the correct location and time of day will be a part of a successful intervention. Addicts typically don’t attend interventions of their own volition; therefore, it’s essential to locate a comfortable setting where they feel protected.
Also, you must pick a time frame when the addict will be sober. Your words will not have the same emotional impact if the addict is under the influence. To secure their sobriety and participation, one of the intervention’s attendees should spend time with the addict before the intervention and take them directly there.
5. Make Therapy Preparations
A successful intervention isn’t just a group of people coming together to let off steam; it’s a proposal for a lifestyle change. At the end of an intervention, the addict should have a concrete recovery plan and therapy options to help them get back on their feet.
Before demanding that the addict seek help, everyone should be clear on what they mean. Will there be group meetings, therapy sessions, outpatient care, a sober home, or something else?
Have your loved one’s necessary transportation plans been made? Following the intervention, treatment must start as soon as possible to give the addict no opportunity to make a hasty decision or change their mind.
Most crucial, keep your composure. It’s impossible to plan around every contingency and outburst. The addict may lose control of their emotions and lash out, yell, or say things they don’t mean. Someone might yell out private, unsavory information no one should know about each other. Never let retaliations or animosity distract you from why you are there, to successfully intervene and assist your loved one in becoming their best self.
GateHouse Treatment and Successful Interventions
You’ve come to the right place if you need help with the intervention and rehabilitation process. We can guide you through the process of helping your loved one, from staging a successful intervention to providing the care they need to reach sobriety. We offer outpatient, intensive outpatient, and partial hospitalization therapies, along with other innovative forms of care. We can also help you find quality sober homes for the best recovery environment.
You can reach out by calling (855) 448-3588 or through our website to begin your loved one’s path to a healthier life.
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