Addiction Recovery Drug intervention

What Is Intervention?

Intervention is a widely misunderstood concept. Many people are reluctant to seek help for a loved one in this way, because they fear intervention will be like a new recruit in boot camp meeting his (or her) drill sergeant for the first time. While there is a confrontational aspect to intervention, that confrontation need not be hostile.

Addiction Recovery Think of the process of drug and alcohol addiction like an elevator’s constant and inevitable descent past dozens of potential stops on different floors. Seen this way, intervention is an attempt to end the user’s elevator ride before he or she reaches the bottom.

The director of a well known drug and alcohol treatment center describes the process this way: “Intervention is a structured educational process facilitated by a trained professional in which family members and friends meet with the prospective patient to gently interrupt the negative spiral of untreated alcoholism and other drug dependency.”

A formal intervention involves bringing together a group of people with the addict to explore how his or her drug-related behavior has affected all their lives. This formal, structured process is appropriate when the person has repeatedly refused to get help.

What Will An Intervention Accomplish?
The goal of intervention (both formal and informal) is to convince the alcoholic/addict to take concrete steps immediately following the meeting to get help for their addiction. If the situation requires only an informal approach, the goal may be simply to have the user speak with a doctor or other health professional for advice and assistance.

The ideal outcome of a formal intervention is to move the drug or alcohol user into treatment immediately. Addicts are clever people, and they are quick to make promises; however, they are just as quick to break those promises. The professional interventionist will explain to the alcoholic/addict that all the “reasons” for putting off treatment will not stop the hurt and pain that his or her family and friends are feeling. Delaying treatment (whatever the excuse) will also not solve the user’s core problems.

This step may seem harsh to some, but those involved must be resolved that entering treatment (even involuntarily) will ultimately be in the best interests of the alcoholic/addict. For more information on intervention, or for a referral to someone who can help, please call (800) 231-8021, or send us an email request.