It takes careful planning and a lot of preparedness for success during an intervention for a loved one. Although it is the boldest thing to do for someone battling addiction, the outcome could go either way. While the main idea for staging intervention is to motivate a loved one, if not approached properly, it may fail to achieve the desired results. To enhance chances for a successful intervention, avoid doing these eight during one.
Go Scriptless During an Intervention
A script serves as a manual for guiding the intervention. It helps outline what you will say. Emotions run high during this interaction. A mix of anger and care could see you speak for hours on end. To avoid speaking too much and possibly deviating from the main topic, come up with a script ahead of time.
What goes into the script? Define who talks and what they say, the importance of seeking intervention, and the consequences of not seeking treatment. Rank speakers in order of ability to get the attention of the person in active addiction. Rehearse the script in advance.
Play the Victim
Nobody feels worse about their decisions, actions and choices than someone in active addiction. This is not the time to show the person how much damage he or she has had on the family. This clouds everything. You are staging an intervention because you care and because addiction is treatable. When given time to speak, do not use it to impose guilt.
It is okay to talk about how their decisions make you feel, but you should not use your emotions to beat them into submission. It should not be used to belittle and criticize because it misses the point of the intervention.
Play Strong
Recovery is the bumpiest road you’ll ever walk. It is hard to see a loved one struggle with addiction. It comes with so many feelings of despair. Ask for help. It is not enough to have a professional. Go further and ask for help from a spiritual leader if needed.
Admit to yourself that the motivation may or may not work. Do not panic if it fails. Do not be afraid to come up with a Plan B. It is not an admission of defeat, nor does it take away your abilities or efforts.
Allow Emotional Family and Friends to Speak
An intervention is not supposed to be a dramatic family episode. It is a short session that requires people to control their emotions and talk about addiction from a point of love. All family members are allowed to participate, but ensure only those that keep their emotions in check have a chance to speak, guide the discussion or communicate the consequences of not following through with treatment.
Emotional family and friends may say things that will only frustrate the process. These words could be more hurtful and damaging to someone in active addiction. It often becomes difficult for emotional people to communicate their messages calmly and constructively.
Think the Time and Place Isn’t Important
Timing is everything when staging an intervention. Do not hold it when the person is intoxicated. While it may be difficult to catch them at the right time, especially if they are too deep into using, it won’t make sense to talk to them when they are wasted.
Try holding the intervention in the morning. You could also consider approaching them after a drug-related incident such as a hospital stay or after an arrest. Wait for a time when they are likely to be influenced by their consequences.
Do not hold interventions at home. While it may appear comfortable, it might interfere with the seriousness of the process. Find a neutral place to solve the problems. Choose a private and formal spot.
Beat Around the Bush
When you get an audience of with someone in active addiction, be specific. There is no time for generalities. Be specific about how the addiction has affected you and the family.
Don’t go into stories of all the nights they came home high. Talk about one night they abused and the significant impact it had on those around them. Speak about how traumatizing it was. The idea is to create an intense emotional impact.
Staging Intervention Without Treatment Options
Before inviting your loved one to an intervention session, have a clear road map on what treatment options they can join. With the help of a professional and all the family involved ask these basic questions.
What treatment options are available for his addiction? What are the treatment costs? What is the program route – inpatient or outpatient? Is the family ready to support treatment immediately?
Before holding an intervention, research treatment centers, understand treatment options available in the rehab, think about dual diagnosis, and if possible make arrangements to have the loved one join immediately after the successful intervention. Think about travel arrangements as well.
Give up and Lose Control
When you lose control, it becomes difficult to stage a successful intervention. Even after you get a ‘No”, think about how to proceed to the next intervention stage. Earlier, a suggestion was given that there is a need for plan B. When the offer for treatment is declined move to plan B. Talk to your professional on how to proceed to the next stage.
Staging a successful intervention means adequate prior planning to ensure it is the right time, place and team to work with. Since it is a difficult process, you are likely to make many mistakes. These tips will help you see the shaky areas before the foil your intervention plan.
58 comments
Totally agree with having a script! Your mind does some crazy stuff when you pour your heart out.
One should not support any party during intervention. Try to resolve the matter amicably and don’t just pass judgement without being verified the truth.
These are actually true and are the typical mistakes from people. Once we can avoid all these, then interview will go smoothly with a happy ending with an addict.
Fantastic! This article is full of educative thoughts. Thank you for this.
The path to recovery is the most difficult you’ll ever travel. It’s difficult to see a loved one battle addiction. It’s accompanied by a slew of negative emotions. Make a request for assistance. Having a professional isn’t enough. If necessary, go even further and seek assistance from a spiritual leader.
Great one! I do really appreciate this content. It’s full of useful and inspiring elements.
I always say this in addiction regardless of what it is SUPPORT is vital. It can make or break the process. It never occurred to me that too much intervention is a thing for this? Interesting.
This article is really educative, informative interesting and well detailed. Morning blessing today. Thank you writer
I totally agree… Our mind is powerful if engaged appropriately.
Noted! This is one way to go about it intervention and the scripture is really one part I love.
This is well scripted. There shouldn’t be panic during an intervention.
It’s Good to know the “Don’t” in an Intervention.
Going through Addiction is Difficult and I believe Help is the Strong Aid to Gain Recovery.
Wow, this is very important to know and take note. With these things helping an addict will be much easier.
This are some life helping and changing methods to help fast recovery. Nothing works better than this.
The Family and Friends of someone going through Addiction can Help his Recover if they Show him True Love and Affection.
They Need to be able to show their Emotional Hurt caused by His Action.
There are some things shouldn’t be done during intervention. And not be interupted during this process it makes the mind settled.
It is better to follow the instructions given above when help are needed. Love the article. Thanks for sharing.
With these things listed out, I think no one should have an excuse of not overcoming any form of addiction. Thanks for sharing
Having a script is worth it because your body and soul will be at rest after it been poured out into writing. Then you become free.
Totally agree with this article. Those things needs to be avoided when going through intervention
It’s a good thing to write down the story of your life out. Because sometimes it helps lessen the burdens of the heart.
Most addicts needs to follow up with this article. They must strive not to disrupt any form of support given to them as intervention to their challenges.
Thanks for all these tips. They will help every individual who desires to help people with addiction.
This is an eye opener for things not to do during an intervention. Thank you for sharing this educative information here.
Addicts should try not to pretend to be strong when people are trying to help them recover. It is not advisable to them to play strong and beat around the bush.
Being emotional will not even help you to give the required intervention. Detox to rehab is really updating us adequately. Thanks so much.
Planning precedes other functions.
Being patient will solve a lot of this things.
These are what some people need to know about what should not do during an intervention . These tips will help you see the shaky areas before the foil your intervention plan. Thank you for sharing this educative information here.
Being careful of what we take and what we do is essential to avoid this kind of ailment. Healthy living is not negotiable.
To is good to be helpful but care has to be taken. Thanks for this information.
Correct, you ever said marvelous, on how to stay close to someone who is facing intervention from alcohol addiction. We should help the victim to bounce off through the despair, bad feelings of alcohol, and encourage him or her with kind words.
Thanks for all these points highlighted. It is a good thing to be sensitive even when you are rendering assistance.
I agree. This things that you do is really dangerous during intervention. We need to be aware of those things. Thank you so much for this blog. I will be sharing this to my friends.
If we do not doing anything in this intervention,why we should come,make none sense
I have learnt things to be avoisiin alcoholism intervention. This goes a long way in one’s life.
Assistance must be very coordinated when giving any form of assistance. Thanks for this piece of information.
Time and place are essential part of the planning for intervention. If not timely, it may lead to another chaos.
It is good to learn new things about alcolism intervention. I love this piece of article
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Giving up during intervention is a failure in disguise. All the itemized things are worthy of examination.
Having a script to pour your thoughts will help. This write up is really revealing so that everyone that needs the information benefits from it.
Wow this is so educational and amazing. So glad I came across this wonderful article. Good job detox.
Don’t be too proud to seek intervention for a problem. We can assist others to overcome addiction. Thanks for sharing.
Having an intervention from emotional family members can very draining as they would express more emotions that will keep one away from feeling down or being too depressed.
Thank you Detax to rehab for sharing these type of stories with all of us.These stories are really very much inspirational for many people who are addicted with something and try to recover from that.
Care must be taken during intervention. Thanks for this piece of information.
Unnecessary sympathy will not help during intervention. Thank you so much for these information.
The person intervene must be patient. It may get to a time that the patient will say things that will annoy you.
What a valuable piece. I agree, that an intervention should be from a place of love and concern and should not intend to guilt trip or berate the person suffering. Timing is everything and the desired outcome should elicit a positive emotional response.
What a valuable piece. I agree, that an intervention should be from a place of love and concern and should not intend to guilt trip or berate the person suffering. Thank you so much for these information.
This article is very informative, I never knew there were procedures to intervention. Thanks for this.
Interesting article on the things to avoid during intervention. Especially playing strong as one may play strong while struggling with Addiction while in turn end up suffering more.
It’s very pertinent to be very careful when intervening in an issue
Thanks detox to rehab for sharing this beautiful piece. These are things that are very vital in order to have recovery.
One must be emotionally stable to offer adequate intervention. This is very important. Thanks for sharing.
It was a very educative article. Love the content of this post.
I have always had challenges during an intervention with people very close to me. I hate to see them battling addiction and I always want to be there for them and help them get through it. This article is surely what I need to achieve success during an intervention. Thank you for putting this together. The tips are helpful
These are very remarkable and useful tips in getting the desired result for which an intervention is staged.
More outstanding among all the tips for me is “Don’t lose hope”.
This tips are very true and correct, a very educative and informative blog. Detox to rehab thank you for sharing this wonderful tips.