Staring In The Face Of Addiction: Learn How To Hold An Intervention In Five Steps

October 31, 2019

If you see a loved one or friend is struggling with addiction and the clear warning signs are there that they might need help this is a classic scenario where you might consider proposing an intervention.

Intervention requires a professional approach and if you want to learn more about the treatment and recovery center and what it can offer you might want to go to harrishousestl.org, so that you have an idea of what help is available.

Before you get to this situation, your first task is to identify that a loved one or friend needs help and then look at the options available. Here is a look at how to verify that a person has addiction issues and an overview of the steps that follow with an intervention approach:

Key Signs

If you have your suspicions that a loved one is self-medicating with alcohol or drugs and their dependence seems to have reached a point where they are harming themselves it is natural that you might want to take action to help them find a way to break the cycle.

Some classic signs to look for include when someone has developed what can be considered to be a very high tolerance level and their consumption levels are increasing.

Other traits to look for include when your loved one or friend seems to be trying to hide their habit from others and if their financial situation seems to be worsening without any obvious reason that could be due to funding their addiction.

Once you are sure they have a problem and you want to help this would be the time to consider intervention. Confronting someone about their addiction is not easy and you will need to find a suitable opportunity and the right environment to give the intervention plan the best chance of success.

Steps To Achieving A Successful Intervention

The aim of an intervention is to allow friends and family to raise their concerns in an appropriate environment that is right for all parties to gain the right outcome.

You will need professional guidance in the form of an intervention specialist who can help with the preparation and the process itself.

Collective Persuasion

The next step would be to work on creating an intervention group.

This is considered to be an important aspect of the intervention approach, as it can be powerfully persuasive when an addict sees that so many people that are close to them have got together to offer their help.

You may well need professional help to get the structure of the approach right in order to achieve a successful outcome where the addict is suitably persuaded and convinced to seek treatment through rehab.

Reach out to a network of friends and family to discuss the problem and formulate a plan.

You need to agree on what you are going to say and how you are going to deliver that all-important message that you care for their welfare and want them to seek appropriate professional help to resolve their addiction problem.

Take Your Time

Rushing the intervention process and failing to plan or rehearse how you are going to tackle the situation will almost certainly hinder the chances of achieving a successful outcome where the addict agrees to seek help.

Confronting someone about their addiction without knowing what to say and how to deal with their response will make it less likely that the intervention will go smoothly.

It is likely that the situation will have become urgent and you do not want to waste any time in helping your loved one to seek the professional help they clearly need, but it would still be better to plan and rehearse how you are going to handle the intervention beforehand.

Going over what you are going to say and thinking about the responses you are going to deliver will give you more confidence and understanding of the situation and this could make a big difference to the outcome.

A Dose Of Realism Always Helps

Even when you feel you know someone inside out and sense that you can anticipate their reaction to being confronted about their addiction it is wise to keep an open mind as to how the intervention meeting will go.

It could all go to plan and your loved one accepts that they have a problem and agrees to seek help, but it could also go very differently to that scenario and they may be hostile to your confrontation and refuse to discuss the situation or cooperate with the suggestion to seek help.

Rather than being totally optimistic that the intervention tactics will be successful, it is prudent to temper that optimism slightly with a dose of realism that it might take a while before a loved one sees the light and agrees to get help.

There are numerous different scenarios and outcomes that could come into play, from total compliance through to outright refusal to accept that they have a problem and plenty of possible outcomes in between.

Using a professional interventionist to help you plan your approach and deal with the response you get should normally improve your chances of enjoying the best possible outcome in the circumstances.

It is essential that you resolve to stay supportive and remember that the intervention is borne out of genuine love and concern for a loved one. In addition, it is critical to the success of the approach that you hold your nerve and stick to the structure agreed when the intervention was planned.

Sadly, you should also be prepared for failure with your intervention. The fact that your loved one has an addiction will mean that they are more than capable of behaving irrationally and could also be convinced that they do not need any help.

However, the possibility of an unsuccessful outcome should not be a deterrent to trying to offer the hand of friendship and love to someone you care about in an effort to get them the help they need to tackle their addiction.

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Andi Perullo de Ledesma

I am Andi Perullo de Ledesma, a Chinese Medicine Doctor and Travel Photojournalist in Charlotte, NC. I am also wife to Lucas and mother to Joaquín. Follow us as we explore life and the world one beautiful adventure at a time.

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