How Can I Stage an Intervention for an Addict?

Oxford Dictionary defines intervention as:

“An occasion when a group of people meet to take action with a friend or family member who has an addiction to drugs or alcohol, to help them recover.”

How to Stage an Intervention

The concept is simple, but carrying out an intervention takes considerable thought, effort, and preparation to be effective. Narconon Suncoast works with a network of proven interventionists who can guide you through the process.

Step 1: Get Professional Help

Let’s face it. You might not know everything there is to know about helping people with an addiction into recovery. While not everyone does, a professional who has seen the process done or guided it to successful completion dozens if not hundreds of times is likely to have a better chance at getting the results you want. If what you have been doing hasn’t worked, it is time to reach out to someone experienced. You can find interventionists online, using referrals from contacts you know, or work with Narconon Suncoast’s network of trusted professionals.

Before deciding to work with someone, do your best to read reviews. Ask to see results or numbers indicating how successful they have been at bringing people with an addiction to the conclusion that they need help. Look for the best interventionist you can find, but keep in mind it is unlikely you will find one with a 100 percent success rate; it’s a tough job, after all, and each person or loved one who is addicted is unique. There will be the most successful or more successful than others; these are the interventionists you will want to team up with.

Step 2: Form An Intervention Team

While the interventionist will be there to guide you through the process, you want all the people that matter to be part of the core team that will organize the intervention. Generally, this may consist of:

• Close family members
• Friends
• Coworkers

It would be better if anyone in the group who has a drinking or substance use issue were left out. They may not be the best example for someone trying to recover. Close family and friends are the most vested in the outcome of an intervention, but sometimes, having an “outsider” like a caring coworker can act as an unbiased voice of reason when others are getting emotional. Coworkers and those outside the immediate family ring can also serve to show the addicted person that it’s not just the family being affected by his or her actions; it has crossed lines into every area of his or her life.

Step 3: Plan Your Intervention

The intervention may only last a few hours, but all the planning and work leading up to the special moment can make or break it. As much as possible, work with your interventionist to plan out every aspect of this group meeting, including the following things:

Time

Make sure the intervention is scheduled at a time when the loved one is least likely to be high, hungover, or drunk. For example, if you know they drink heavily over the weekend, Sunday afternoon might not be the best time. Consider a Tuesday or Wednesday evening, for example, when they are more likely to be sober. On another note, if you find the subject is out of it on the day you planned a meeting, it is far better to reschedule than to try and reason with someone while they are high.

Place

Find neutral ground to have the meeting. If you hold the intervention in the addict’s home, they are more likely to try to escape to their bedroom or “get something to eat” in the kitchen to avoid the whole thing. Consider an area with no bad history, like a private room at a restaurant out of town or an acquaintance's house.

Attendees

Making sure the core team will be there is essential. You may also need to make sure that certain people are not present. Inviting your loved one’s drinking buddies is not going to help inspire them to do better for themselves. Even certain family members who have had too many bad experiences, who have lasting grudges, or who you know won’t be able to speak calmly or keep their emotions in check should not be allowed to bring this baggage with them. If they can’t stick to the script, they don’t have to come, and they shouldn’t; they could ruin it for everyone else.

Process

Every person is different, and the process that works best, meaning the sequence of events or agenda for the meeting, should be tailored to suit them. Decide when you want to let each person talk, what they will say, and how they will say it. Even decide where everyone will be sitting and where the subject will sit could be necessary for some families. An interventionist can help you determine what would work best for your loved one.

Step 4: Prepare for Challenges

Don’t expect that the intervention will go off like clockwork. You will also need to be ready for the addict's objections. Take time with the core team to determine what your loved one is most likely to say or do to object, and choose the correct answer or response from the group. Like the rest of the process, a professional interventionist can shed light on how specific objections can be handled.

Make sure everyone knows that as a person with an addiction faces the truth, it is often challenging. They may lash out or say unkind things; prepare everyone to maintain a level head and get them to agree to remain calm and use reason.

Step 5: Rehearse Your Parts

Finally, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. The more everyone is familiar with their part, the easier it will be to stay calm and move forward when the intervention gets tense.

Step 6: Select a Rehabilitation Center

Have a place selected for the loved one to attend rehab. Do not wait until after they are ready to commit. Do the homework early and find a center or facility that has a high level of success with people with an addiction returning to live drug or alcohol-free lives after completing.

Step 7: Coordinate Assistance to Offer

Your objective is to make it as easy as possible for the addicted person to say yes. If they have kids, a job, car payments, or any of a multitude of reasons they won’t be able to get away, offer as much help as you can to make this easier for them. They need to know they have the support they need to go through rehabilitation for real; they should also know that if they continue the path of addiction, their job, payments, or children are at even greater risk.

Step 8: Stage the Intervention

Bring everyone together and execute the plan. Stay on track. Despite objections, don’t go off script for long. Keep to the agenda so everyone gets to say their piece.

Ask the person with an addiction for a decision right away. Don’t let them shirk you off or say they’ll “think about it.” Let them know they are loved and supported, but be firm. There will be consequences if they refuse to seek help.

Step 9: Assist the Addicts Arrival to Rehab

As soon as they agree to start rehab, do not delay! Get the bags packed, their airline flight purchased (if not already done), and your loved one out the door. The longer you delay, the less likely they will take the leap to change their lives forever. If a flight is needed, consider sending a sober “buddy” to ensure they do not get sidetracked during travel.

Step 10: If At First You Do Not Succeed, Try Again

While some sources, like the Association of Intervention Specialists, cite a 90 percent success rate for interventions, it is not always easy. Sometimes, it’s a process more than a single event. If your first intervention does not result in a resounding “yes,” you have still taken a meaningful step by planting a seed in your loved one’s consciousness. You’ve laid your cards on the table, and they know how you feel about their substance abuse. They will know they have the love and support needed to change, and there will be consequences for continuing down the path of drinking and drugs. Your interventionist should meet with the concerned group after the intervention and discuss the next strategic move to get the final result you are after.

Narconon Suncoast: Rehabilitation is Possible

If you or someone you care about is caught in the cycle of abuse, Narconon Suncoast is here to help. Rehabilitation is possible. Thousands have completed the Narconon program and have gone on to live fulfilling lives without drugs. The first step is deciding to change; we can help you from there. Call us for a free consultation, more information about interventionists we work with, or to learn about our program today.