How to Stage an Intervention

An intervention is a structured conversation between friends, family members, and a loved one suffering from substance abuse problems. This conversation is best when led by a professional interventionist with the hopeful result that the person struggling with addiction will enter proper addiction treatment.

But, many family members and close friends aren’t sure where to start with the intervention process and the proper way to get the addicted loved one involved. If you know someone struggling with alcohol or drug addiction, or mental illness, contact the intervention team at Drew Horowitz & Associates right away.

The intervention specialists at Drew Horowitz & Associates understand the difficulty in voicing your concerns with a loved one struggling with addiction or with their mental health. Knowing what to say is the hardest part when trying to help someone with a substance use disorder.

But, how do you know when an intervention is the right step to take? It may not be obvious to outsiders that someone is struggling with alcohol or drug abuse, but some signs include

• Aggressive & Secretive Behavior
• Borrowing/Stealing Money
• Problems at Work/School
• Health Issues
• Drastic Change in Physical Appearance

You know your friends and family best, so if you see addiction or mental health causing negative life-changing behavior in a loved one, hold an intervention–you could be saving their life.

Contact the intervention specialists at Drew Horowitz & Associates for help.

When looking to stage an intervention, your first step should be to contact an intervention specialist. The professional interventionist is essential to staging a successful intervention. They will work with everyone involved before the actual intervention to discuss what should be and needs to be said.

The specialist will work with friends and family to educate them in the recovery process. Understanding how your loved one will recover will help everyone involved convince them to get help at the proper treatment center. It may be difficult for an addict to recognize how their actions are affecting others, so the intervention specialist will help everyone properly communicate how their addiction has hurt them in the past.

Next, a place and time will be chosen for the intervention to take place. By design, an intervention should take place in a familiar, non-threatening setting, and at a time when the addict will be sober. Keeping the subject at ease throughout the entire intervention is important. Interventions will typically last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half, but there is no mandatory time limit.

During an intervention, you should be prepared for anything. It’s impossible to predict how your loved one will handle being confronted in such a manner. An intervention specialist has training in bringing hostile environments to a preferred level of calm. At the end of the intervention, the specialist and parties involved will lay out a treatment plan and consequences if they choose not to agree to treatment.

It is important to set expectations for your loved one struggling with addiction to keep them accountable post-intervention. These should be clearly stated during the intervention and strongly enforced afterward. A professional interventionist will help you develop these expectations.

An intervention is meant to help break the cycle of addiction. The experts at Drew Horowitz & Associates have years of experience helping clients get their loved ones the help they desperately need. Interventions have been proven to save lives. Let’s work together to keep your family full.