Alcohol is one of the most abused substances in American society. Over 14 million Americans abuse alcohol, and you may have noticed signs of alcohol misuse in your loved one. Staging an intervention is a good way of bringing the issue to their attention and helping them look for treatment. However, interventions can fail and even alienate the person struggling with alcohol abuse. So, how exactly can you hold a successful alcohol addiction intervention? Read on to see what addiction professionals recommend.
What Is an Intervention?
An intervention is a loving and carefully planned process for bringing up a concerning pattern of behavior with a loved one.
When family members and friends stage an intervention for a loved one’s addiction to alcohol, they express concern about their drinking patterns, tell them how the drinking affects their lives and relationships and provide multiple treatment options for alcohol addiction.
If the loved one is receptive to the concerns stated during the intervention meeting, they can get professional help for alcohol use disorder before the addiction gets out of hand and enrol in a PHP drug rehab or IOP addiction treatment.
When to Stage an Alcohol Addiction Intervention
An intervention formally acknowledges that a loved one has a problem with alcohol use and needs to get professional help. The intervention meeting can even be eye-opening to the person struggling with alcohol abuse and help them seek treatment.
However, a loved one struggling with substance abuse may deny having a problem and make you doubt an intervention is necessary.
So, what signs indicate the need to stage an intervention for a loved one’s addiction?
- Inability to control their drinking: Observe to see if a loved one can’t start or get through their day without drinking or brings alcohol with them to school, work or other professional spaces.
- Drinking becomes a safety issue: Stage an intervention if your loved one drives while drunk, initiates physical fights when intoxicated or is unable to properly take care of minors and other dependents due to their drinking.
- Alcohol disrupts their lives: Take note if they are unable to work or lose their job due to drinking. Sometimes loved ones experience health problems, including serious mental illness, due to alcohol abuse.
How to Choose Members of the Intervention Team
The people in an intervention group can make or break the process. It’s crucial to choose team members who care about the person struggling with alcohol abuse and can communicate well to improve their likelihood of seeking treatment.
To select the ideal members of the intervention team:
- Involve people the addicted person is on good terms with to make them more receptive.
- Pick people who’ve recently witnessed and been impacted by the loved one’s behavior.
- Ensure members of the intervention team can communicate adequately without getting overly emotional.
Around six people should be involved in an alcohol abuse intervention. The people involved often include family members like parents, a partner or spouse, children and close friends.
An intervention team can also contain a professional interventionist or addiction specialist who’ll help others remain calm when the alcoholism intervention process becomes emotionally charged.
How to Prepare for an Intervention
Proper planning is crucial to a successful intervention. You need to gather information about alcohol use disorder, including common mental health problems in people with substance abuse disorders. You also need to learn about treatment centers and effective treatment programs to increase your chances of success.
Experts recommend preparing by:
- Determining the suitable intervention method: The two methods most commonly used for a formal intervention are the Arise model and the Johnson model. The Arise model involves the person with alcohol use disorder in the intervention process and can raise the chances of success by 83%. The Johnson model is often portrayed in shows and movies as family members meeting privately to plan the intervention. The actual intervention occurs in the presence of professional interventionists, such as a health care professional or social worker.
- Finding information about available treatment programs: An alcohol addiction intervention should go beyond acknowledging the problem to provide the addict with concrete help for resolving their alcohol abuse issues. Call or tour nearby rehabs in Delray Beach Florida to learn about their programs. You can enroll your loved one in a rehabilitation center before the intervention to make them more willing to accept treatment.
- Writing what to say during the intervention process: Have every alcohol abuse intervention team member prepare in advance what they’ll say during the formal intervention. The statements should be brief but loving. Collaborate with the other members to ensure their statements stay true to the purpose.
What to Do During an Alcohol Addiction Intervention
Preparing for an alcohol addiction intervention is only a small part of the process. The bulk of the work occurs during the actual intervention, which can be emotionally taxing.
Since all intervention group members need to express themselves, keeping time is crucial. When speaking during the actual intervention:
- Express concern: Tell your loved one how much you love them before expressing concern about their behavior. Mention when and why you became alarmed by their alcohol consumption.
- State effects: Mention concrete examples of how alcohol addiction has changed their behavior. Tell them how the shift has negatively affected your life.
- Appeal: Entreat your loved one to seek help for alcohol abuse as soon as possible. Emphasize that the appeal is made out of love, not a desire to sabotage them.
- Provide resources: Present your research on treatment centers. If a professional interventionist is present, let them explain the treatment process for substance use disorder.
- Declare consequences: Tell your loved one what they can expect if they don’t stop drinking. Consequences should be severe and appropriate to your relationship, e.g., if it’s your spouse, ask them to move out to protect yourself or your children.
Consult Experts for Drug Addiction Intervention
Alcohol use disorder is a serious mental illness that can have devastating effects. An alcohol addiction intervention is a proactive move for getting a loved one to take a pause and get crucial support.
You can enhance the success of alcohol abuse interventions by involving a mental health professional in the process. Experts from Olympus Recovery are always willing to help people struggling with addiction to alcohol and other drugs. You can reach out to us at (866) 305-7134 to learn the best way to conduct an alcohol addiction intervention for your loved one.
