How to Have a Drug or Alcohol Intervention

If somebody you love is suffering an addiction to drugs or alcohol, an intervention is the most important thing you can do. A drug or alcohol intervention is more than just a wake-up call for your friend or family member… it is also a way for you to vent, cut ties, and relieve yourself of any unnecessary stress that has built up.

The first thing you should know about a drug or alcohol intervention is that you will not get the result you are hoping for. Your loved one will not immediately realize the consequences of their actions and get sober. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy for anybody struggling with addiction to change their ways.

However, by confronting your loved one with a proper drug and alcohol intervention, you will be getting through to that person. That is, you will be getting through those walls and reaching a part of him or her that is the person you once knew.

Drug or Alcohol Intervention Checklist

*    Gather friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors. Gather as many people as you can to participate.
Encourage everybody to participate with any comments or examples of specific behavior.
The more who participate in a drug or alcohol intervention, the better!
(But don’t exclude anybody who doesn’t wish to speak up. Hearing others talk may change their mind, and the more people who are present for an intervention, the more likely you are of getting through.)

Never try to have a drug or alcohol intervention by yourself.

*    Consult your local rehab center for drug and alcohol intervention tips. Most rehab centers offer intervention services.

*    Organize specific examples of problematic behavior that your loved one has expressed, and the consequences of these actions.

*    Organize information about drug and alcohol addiction that you can show examples of the damages that addiction causes, and compare these to the behavior of your friend.

*    Be blunt and completely honest. If your friend has stolen from you, or betrayed your trust in any way, let them know it. Do not be afraid to hurt their feelings, or to let them know they are not welcome in your home until they clean up their act. It is important for you to put yourself first in this situation, and to let an addict know if they have drained you.

*    It is very important to also let them know they can come to you for help, at any time, and you will be there to support them in making the right decisions. (And be clear that you can not be around the wrong decisions any longer, because of the effect it has on you.)

*    Put your foot down, and keep it down. Once you have made your point, allow somebody else to speak up and make theirs. The person who is being confronted should have the opportunity to speak between everyone… and should also be given opportunity to speak last at the intervention.

The final, and most important, part of having a drug or alcohol intervention is following through. Don’t support any bad decisions, including the hopeful plan to quit cold turkey or to cut back. These are dead end roads, and supporting these ideas further enables somebody to continue their struggles with addiction.

The decision you should support, and encourage, is to seek help by detoxifying and then following up with a variety of counseling programs that will help your loved one to permanently stay sober and live the best life they are capable of.