The Purpose and Goals of Interventions
Interventions
An intervention can be an effective tool to effectively demonstrate the depth and severity of substance abuse and addiction to someone you love. It can help them get the help they need before it is too late. Identifying addictive behavior and offering rehab as a solution are the goals of an intervention. However, It is crucial that an intervention is not presented as a judgment or indictment of the person living with addiction. Learn more about the purpose and goals of interventions in this blog.
It is also important to remember that addiction is not a character flaw. It is a medical disease and as such, requires medical treatment. Although the careless behavior of those addicted to drugs and alcohol has very real and painful emotional consequences for those who love them, the intervention should not turn into a long blame session. Rather, the driving force should be to say the most effective things in the most effective manner, that convince your loved one that they need to enter rehab and receive medical treatment.
Each person at the intervention will have a chance to share a personal experience they had with the addict when they were under the influence and behaving in a hurtful, unhealthy or unsafe manner. This achieves the first goal: to tell the addict of the direct negative impact their addiction to drugs and alcohol has had on the people they love.
The second goal of an intervention – getting your loved one into treatment – may only be achieved with a significant negative consequence should they refuse:
- A spouse may tell their abuser partner that he or she will file for divorce, or ask for a separation;
- family members may tell their loved one that they will have to move out;
- an employer may tell an abuser that they will lose their job if they refuse to enter rehab.
In other words, the consequence must be significant enough to get the addict’s attention, and everyone must be prepared to follow through in the event that your loved one chooses not to go into treatment. Backing down, offering more time or a second chance to get it right without rehab is not an option. Medical issues like drug addiction will only see recovery through treatment like drug or alcohol rehab. Period.
If your loved one chooses to enter rehab, you must be prepared to send them immediately – not a few days later, not next week, not next month. You should have a place ready and waiting for your loved one immediately at the end of the intervention. You should have all travel arrangements made and a packed bag by the door. Waiting is not an option. Rehab must happen now.
White Sands Treatment Center is here to help you through the difficult process of helping your loved one get into rehab. Our intervention counselors are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to help families seeking help for their loved ones. They will work with family members to learn and understand the exact nature of their loved one’s addiction and behaviors, and create a plan of recovery that starts with confronting the addict about their drug abuse history and how it has affected their family members.
If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.