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Drug Rehab Intervention

If an addiction is like a veil over the addict's eyes, keeping him or her from seeing the world clearly and interacting with friends and family in an open and honest manner, a drug rehabilitation intervention is designed to pull that veil away and allow the addict to see the dangers of the drug use and the help an addiction rehabilitation program can provide. It's a powerful, and an important, conversation that can lead to real and lasting changes for the addict.

The Theory Behind an Intervention

Family members and friends of people addicted to drugs may repeatedly ask the addict to stop using. In fact, in some families, this message is repeated daily in a variety of ways, including threats, warning, pleas and ultimatums. These conversations, however, often don't motivate an addict to change. In fact, sometimes these conversations can be so destructive that they serve to drive an addict deeper into addiction. An intervention is designed to break this cycle.

Studies have shown that people don't have to accept addiction treatment in order for it to work. There are many people who recover from drug addictions after they spend time in court-mandated addiction treatment programs, for example. However, addicts who are motivated to change are more likely to do the hard work of recovery and stick to that work, day in and day out. Researchers writing in the French journal Encephale state this best: "Although we would not question the necessity for psychiatric treatment in patients who do not ask for it (addictions are a major public-health problem), we should not forget that motivation is one of the essential elements for making any changes in behavior." In other words, while it might be effective to force some people to get the addiction treatments they need in order to get better, addicts who are truly motivated to change, and they feel that motivation deep in their hearts, might be more likely to want to change based on their own opinions and goals.

An intervention is designed to motivate an addict to enter a treatment program. The intervention should not, therefore, be used to settle scores, punish the addict, ridicule the addict or air old grievances. Instead, the intervention should focus solely on what would change the addict's mind about the addiction, and what can be said and done to make the addict see why a treatment program is both necessary and inevitable. In this way, an intervention can be successful. (see Intervention Fact Sheet)

Hiring a Professional

While most families are accustomed to talking with one another without the help of a specialist, an intervention is more than a simple conversation. In fact, an intervention is a crucial conversation that must be handled with a great deal of delicacy and care. Most people have never held an intervention before, so they have no idea what to expect and how to hold one properly. This could mean that they stumble and trip up during an intervention, and miss out on an opportunity to help the addict see the need for change. Hiring an interventionist, someone who is specifically trained to hold these conversations, may be the best way to keep these blunders from occurring.

According to an article published in Addiction Treatment Magazine, interventions work best when a professional interventionist is at the helm. This person can help the family plan, develop concrete statements, use convincing arguments and stay calm in the face of an angry addict. In short, they can provide real help.

The right interventionist will help put the family at ease, provide background on addiction and interventions, and then have a warm and caring presence the addict can feel during the intervention itself. There are many, many addiction interventionists available, and often, finding the right one means conducting a series of interviews. Good questions to ask include:

• What sorts of addictions do you specialize in?
• What is your educational background?
• How many interventions have you conducted?
• How much do you charge?

It's good to be picky and find just the right person both the addict and the family will be comfortable with. This person will partner with the family for several weeks, learning all about the inner workings of that family, so it pays to find someone that the entire group will want to work with.

Setting Up Rehearsals

In most cases, the intervention will consist of a series of letters read aloud by the family members. These letters typically follow a recognizable format, where the family members describe:

• What they love about the addict
• What the addiction is doing to ruin the relationship
• How those changes make the family members feel
• Why a rehabilitation program is so important
• What will happen if the person won't enter treatment

Often, the family will write these letters in their own homework sessions and then they will read them aloud in a series of rehearsals. The interventionist will step in and ask for modifications if the letters become spiteful or angry. Again, this is not the point of an intervention. As a study published in the journal Substance Abuse and Misuse suggests, addicts only find confrontations helpful if they believe that the speaker is being honest, the concerns expressed are legitimate and the relationship is strong enough to allow the speaker to talk in this way. In other words, if a distant friend yelled at the addict, claiming that one hit of marijuana would be the same as killing his children, the addict might blow this off entirely. But, if the addict's wife told him that his drug use was making it hard for her to pay for groceries to feed their children, this message might get through. Being reasonable, logical and loving is key.

As part of the rehearsal process, families also choose a series of treatment options for the addict. They may select an inpatient program located far away, one located nearby and one that provides help on an outpatient basis. All of these programs should be aware of the date and time of the intervention, and the family should have all financial arrangements taken care of. In this way, the momentum of the intervention can carry forward right into treatment. When the intervention is over, the addict can enter the program just a few moments later.

At The Canyon, we've participated in many interventions in just this way. We can help you find an interventionist, and we can schedule your loved one for an intake meeting as soon as the intervention is over. Please call us to find out more.

Holding the Intervention

According to some articles written by interventionists, there is often a person in the addict's life who has a calming effect on the addict. This person has a deep role to play in the intervention. This person may drive the person to the intervention meeting, and speak directly to the addict if he or she chooses to leave in the middle of the meeting. This isn't uncommon. Addicts can become angry, upset, confused or sad, and they may need to step away from the meeting and regroup. The soothing person should be there, at all times, to encourage the addict to step back into the room to continue the conversation. It's an important role.

An intervention can be held anywhere, including the addict's home, an office, a church basement or a neighbor's home. The location should be private, however, to respect the addict's dignity, and the location should be kept secret until the day of the intervention arrives. Then, the calming person brings the addict to the location and when everyone is seated, the reading of the letters begins.

If, at any point, the addict agrees to enter a treatment program, the intervention is over. People who have written their letters, and spent hours revising them, may not always get a chance to read what they have written. However, it's important to remember that the goal of the intervention is to get the person into treatment. Nothing else matters. If the early letters achieve that goal, the intervention is complete.

Similarly, if the addict leaves the room and never comes back, the intervention is also over. It shouldn't be considered a failure, however, as the addict might still be profoundly impacted by what has been said. The conversation might spur changes down the road.

Many families want hard-and-fast proof that interventions work before they agree to hold one. Unfortunately, these statistics can be hard to find. One study may be reassuring, however. A study in the journal Addiction Research and Theory found that confrontations were effective when the addict was a strong, habitual user of drugs and thought that sobriety would be difficult. These are often considered the hardest people to reach in addiction medicine, as their addictions are strong and they don't believe in their own power to beat those addictions. And yet, even in these tough-to-treat cases, confrontations provided help. This may be proof enough that interventions have the power to help people truly heal from addiction.

If you know someone who need an intervention, don’t let another day pass without getting them the help they need. Here at The Canyon, we can guide you through the process. Call now.

Articles on Drug Rehab Intervention

• A Fact Sheet for Intervention
• Doing an Intervention Before Drug Rehab| The Canyon - Malibu, California
• Drug Addiction Intervention Myths
• Plan a Successful Intervention
• Cocaine Addiction Intervention
• Choices to Make in Staging an Intervention
• Types of Interventions to Use
• Is the Time Right for an Intervention?
• How to Do an Intervention for Those Suffering From Drug Addiction
• Why Use an Interventionist?
• Interventions and Their Purpose
• Why is an Intervention Necessary?
• 5 Tips for a Successful Intervention
• Drug Rehab Intervention FAQ
• How Interventions Work
• Is it Time for Treatment?