Avoid These Mistakes if You’re Planning a Drug Intervention
If you’re thinking about holding an intervention for someone in your life who’s struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, there are some things you should know before you begin. You may already know how difficult it can be for an addict to accept treatment, so it’s important to run the intervention as smoothly as possible.
What is a Drug Intervention?
When people have an addict in their life, it’s common to want to do anything possible to offer help. Sometimes what you think is help actually ends up causing further harm. Approaching someone in denial inappropriately can lead to an unhealthy backlash that worsens the addiction. An intervention is a carefully planned meeting, usually with the help of a licensed alcohol and drug counselor or interventionist, in which a group of loved ones come together to confront the addict or alcoholic about his or her behavior. They take turns providing examples of how the addict’s behavior has negatively impacted their lives and the family situation until, finally, ultimatums are issued that will result in negative consequences for the addict should he or she refuse the treatment offered or proposed.
Planning a Drug Intervention
It may sound fairly straightforward, but interventions often require professional planning and assistance. Interventionist Specialists are important to bring into the situation, because they can help determine which strategy will work best for the specific addiction scenario. They guide your family in planning out every single detail about the intervention, from where and when it will take place to who will attend, and so on. They’ll also help you determine of which attendee will bring the addict to the intervention and under what circumstances.
What to Avoid
The drug addict or alcoholic may feel attacked or betrayed by the group when confronted by surprise, so it’s crucial to avoid the following mistakes:
- Being judgmental or aggressive
- Speaking out of anger
- Embarrassing the addict
- Involving anyone in the addict’s life who uses with the addict
- Running the intervention when the addict is high
If you have a loved one in your life who is struggling with a substance abuse problem, it may be time to stage an intervention. Part of a great intervention plan is having a bed waiting at a treatment center when the addict decides to accept help. The Last Resort is here to help you create a plan of treatment for the addict in your life. Call today 512-750-6750 to get started.