Intervention Services

Anyone close to a long-term alcoholic or drug addict knows that getting someone to quit is tough.  Denial is a powerful force that keeps a tight physical and mental grasp on its habitual users.  Ready to approach them to get help?  It would help if you had the right strategy and the proper support.  The best way to go about such a sensitive topic is to work with a seasoned interventionist for intervention services like ours at We Level Up New Jersey.

Evidence on the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in substance use disorders is available.  For substance misusing clients, any form of psychological treatment leads to better treatment outcomes than no psychological treatment.  [1]

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What Is An Intervention?

An intervention is an organized confrontation with a loved one about their drug or alcohol addiction.  It can involve anyone (family, friends, coworkers) who has a relationship with the individual.  They then use the opportunity to express how the person’s addiction has affected them.  It is often a means of convincing a drug or alcohol addict to seek treatment from a rehab facility.

These are emotionally charged affairs that can be difficult for both the addicted and those who staged the intervention.  Interventions are typically reserved as a last-ditch effort to encourage someone to seek treatment.  They are not restricted to drug and alcohol addicts, and intentions can be used to confront a person about any debilitating behavior.

Tips For Holding An Intervention

Your We Level Up NJ addiction services counselor will walk you through the planning process to minimize the possibility of adverse outcomes.  Here are a few recommendations of how to do an intervention:

• Guilt trips aren’t welcome here.  The purpose is not to or shame an addict but to open their eyes to how they have harmed themselves and others.
• Do not yell.  This can make them feel attacked and put them on the defensive.
• Be mindful of the time and setting.  Make this confrontation as non-stressful as possible.  Avoid doing it when their emotions are already volatile (like after a breakup or getting fired) or somewhere that they’ll be distracted or intimidated.
• Be as specific as possible.  It’s recommended that each participant has an itemized list of short grievances and to the point.
• Write down speaking points in advance.  Doing so when your calm can help prevent things from being said harshly in the heat of the moment.

Step 1:

• Once you hire an interventionist, they will advise you on the best practices for making the event go smoothly.  Your interventionist may tell you about the optimal times and places to hold the event based on you and the individual’s needs.  In general, it is best to have the drug/alcohol intervention early in the day or at a time when the addict is less likely to be drunk or high.  Having the event at a neutral, familiar location is also recommended.  But remember, interventions are about the individual, so each situation differs, as does every person.

Step 2:

• Perhaps most importantly, your interventionist will guide you in how best to confront the addict without pushing them away or resenting you, which is one of the family’s worst fears.  Maintaining neutral ground can be difficult when denial is strong or the alcoholic/addict becomes argumentative against others’ experiences.  Still, our licensed interventionists provide unique approaches to these situations through their own experiences.

Do’s:

• Be specific about times they have put themselves or others into harm, danger, or emotional turmoil.
• Be concise and direct;  decide for yourself that you will no longer be involved with the family member as long as they act out the addiction.  This means leaving the relationship until they agree to enter into treatment.
• Have a treatment plan in place
• Follow through on your word if they decline treatment
• Contact one of our professional interventionists and bring together all the people affected and hurt by the situation, love the individual, and are willing to stop contact with the addicted person until they go into a treatment center or gets some other form of help.
• Communicate openly with the professional to help stifle your need to control the situation, enable the afflicted, or be overly judgemental.
• Accept the person as they are; understand that the addiction will continue, and learn to take care of yourself within the situation.

Don’ts:

• Shame or berate.
• Schedule the intervention at a time they are like to be stressed or intoxicated.
• Ramble or vent — your healing will come when they are in a better place to listen.
• Be negative.
• Ignore the signs:  The drugs available to emerge generations these days are more dangerous than anything you ever experienced in your youth.  The youth today might get hooked on painkillers such as Vicodin, Percocet, and Lortabs.  Then when those highs don’t cut it, they get turned onto more potent opiates such as heroin, oxycontin, and potentially worse.  Meth, cocaine, or crack might also fall into play.   No one seems to walk entirely away from this addiction because the temptation is there every day for the rest of their lives, and they begin to fight a force they cannot win.  See the signs and symptoms of their use and point them out;  show them they aren’t fooling anyone with their behavior.

Do Drug & Alcohol Intervention Services Work?

Yes, interventions can be successful in getting an addicted person to admit that they have a problem and to realize that they need help.  To emphasize, it does not necessarily increase the efficacy of their treatment or their likelihood of success.   However, social support and family support are significant components in recovery, and intervention can be an asset later on.

There are several factors to consider, such as the nature of the organizer’s relationship with the individual.  While deciding whether an intervention is a suitable choice for your loved one is a significant decision on its own.  Still, they must determine which type of intervention would be the most effective.

The Different Types of Intervention Services

Just as addiction treatment is not a one-size-fits-all process, neither are interventions.  Instead, there are multiple types and can vary on the setting, the number of people involved, and their relationship with the addicted person.

Simple Intervention

• A simple intervention is the least aggressive of all.  More often than not, it is merely a conversation acknowledging the person’s addiction and asking them to seek treatment.  In addition, rather than involving many people, a simple intervention usually consists of one or possibly two individuals.

Classic Intervention

• Also known as the Johnson Model.  Like the name would suggest, this is the most mainstream type of intervention and the kind that comes to mind when the term is used.  It involves prior planning with all participants (except the addicted person), which usually includes close family members and close friends.  The critical element of this intervention approach is that the argumentative is a surprise to the individual.  Therefore, addiction intervention services can help tremendously in both the planning stage of the intervention and maximize effectiveness.

Crisis Intervention

• Unlike the other types of interventions, this kind is usually impromptu and occurs when the addicted person has become a danger to themselves.  The goal of this approach is to stabilize the situation and keep them safe.  Convincing them to go to rehab may be discussed but is not the prime objective in this situation.

Family System Intervention

• This type of intervention involves other family members who suffer from the same kind of addiction.  This approach is based on the family systems theory and can be a great motivation to recover and undergo treatment.  These family members are very involved in the addiction person’s recovery efforts beyond the intervention itself and will participate in family counseling and the individual.  This method is very effective for repairing and strengthening family bonds.

The Need for Intervention Services

While interventions can be a catalyzing force in an addict getting sober, it is not guaranteed that an intervention will always be successful.  A messed-up intervention can strain relationships and further alienate the addicted person from their loved ones when done incorrectly.  This is one of the main risks of intervention and one of the biggest reasons why professional addiction intervention counselors should always be consulted before staging an intervention and present during.

Addiction intervention services can help defuse tensions and help to mediate the conversation.   This can make interventions much more likely to be successful and result in the addicted person enrolling in rehab.

How To Help An Addicted Loved One With Intervention Services

Most importantly, working with a professional interventionist helps you or your loved one take the edge off of confronting an addicted individual.  Not only will you have an expert to guide you through the process of planning the intervention event and coordinating an addiction treatment center;  but you will also have a moderator to make sure the event itself goes smoothly; support loved ones as well.  Sometimes simply having that neutral person in the room is all you need to find common ground and save a life before it’s too late.

Let us help you or your loved one today – call us here at We Level Up New Jersey today for a free consultation.

If you think that someone you love struggles with addiction, you must try to get them help.  And although it can be tough to come to terms with the fact that someone you love works with addiction, it can save their life.  You may even resort to denial and look the other way when you see the warning signs.  There’s also a chance that you have no idea how to get your loved ones the help they need, which is typical.  One of the best ways to motivate your loved one to begin the road to recovery is through intervention like the one discussed here.

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Voluntarily testimonials from the We Level Up Treatment Center network vary. Not intended as a guaranteed treatment or outcome as each person's journey is unique.

Sources:

[1] Evidence-Based Psychosocial Interventions in Substance Use – National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine