Don’t Make These 8 Mistakes While Staging an Intervention in Athens, GA

If you’ve ever watched an episode of the A&E television show Intervention, you might be under the impression that interventions are almost always successful. About 98 percent of the people who have appeared on the show over the years have agreed to check themselves into a treatment center at the end of their intervention.

But if you’re in the process of staging an intervention in Athens, GA right now, you should know that interventions are not always as successful as they are when you see them on TV. In fact, the intervention that you’re putting together for your loved one could be a total disaster if you’re not careful.

There are certain mistakes people need to avoid making when staging an intervention for someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol. Check out eight of the most common mistakes that people make when they stage an intervention below.

1. Staging It at the Wrong Time

When you’re staging an intervention in Athens, GA, you should make sure you do it at the right time. You should not do it when the addicted person that you’re holding it for is:

• Under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Supposed to be at work or school
• Going through a breakup from a significant other
• Suffering from an illness
• Or dealing with anything else that could potentially distract them during the intervention

In a perfect world, you want an addict to be 100 percent focused on everything that’s said and done during an intervention. The last thing you want is for them to be thinking about something else entirely while everyone is trying to talk to them.

2. Inviting the Wrong People to It

Who is the addict in your life most likely to listen to during an intervention? Ask yourself that question early and often when staging an intervention.

You don’t want to invite too many people to an intervention since it could potentially overwhelm the addict and make them feel uncomfortable. But you should consider inviting their close family members, like their spouse, parents, and siblings, along with any close friends who might have something valuable to share.

You should not, on the other hand, invite anyone who the addict doesn’t get along with or anyone who is going to bring the intervention down by doing little more than criticizing the addict.

3. Holding It Without Professional Help

There are some people who choose to stage interventions without bringing any professional help on board. It can be done if you do enough research ahead of time and learn everything there is to know about successful intervention staging.

But more often than not, it’s a good idea to hire a professional interventionist who can guide your group along throughout the course of your intervention. They can plan out each and every aspect of it and ensure you don’t make any of the mistakes listed here.

4. Skipping a Rehearsal For It

In the days leading up to an intervention, you should strongly consider holding a dress rehearsal for it so that you can make small changes to it to make it more effective.

A dress rehearsal for an intervention will allow everyone to practice what they’re going to say to an addict during it. It’ll also allow whoever is in charge of the intervention to rearrange the order in which everyone will talk to maximize the impact that everyone’s words have.

If you don’t have a dress rehearsal for an intervention, you won’t be able to spot potential problems with it ahead of time. This could put you in a precarious spot once the actual intervention begins.

5. Making It Too Long

All the people at an intervention will have a whole lot to say to the addict at the center of it. Some of them might even be tempted to ramble on and on and on for 10 or 15 minutes each.

This won’t be particularly effective. You’ll run the risk of losing the addict’s attention if you make an intervention too long.

It’s best to limit everyone’s talking time to approximately three to five minutes. It’s also good to limit the total number of people who will speak for the maximum time allowed. That will allow an addict to stay focused on what’s being said throughout the intervention.

6. Attacking the Addict During It

Each person who speaks at an intervention should focus on talking about how an addict’s behavior has impacted their lives over the years. Their words will let the addict know, in no uncertain terms, that their past actions have had an effect on others.

People should not, however, attack the addict in any way during an intervention. This will only serve to increase the chances of the addict getting up and storming out of the room.

7. Defending the Addict During It

While attacking an addict during an intervention is not the right approach to take, defending an addict is almost as bad. There are some people who will stand up and start defending a loved one in the middle of it, especially if an intervention specialist is involved.

By doing this, you’ll be making an addict feel like their actions aren’t that bad. You’re also be enabling them to continue to do what they’ve been doing by making them think they don’t need to seek professional help.

8. Failing to Present a Treatment Plan

Ideally, you want an addict to agree to take part in a treatment plan at the end of an intervention and get help immediately. But this isn’t going to happen if you don’t already have a treatment plan ready to go.

Devise a treatment plan prior to staging so that you can reveal it to the addict after everyone is finished speaking. They’ll be more likely to get help when you have help ready for them.

Start Staging an Intervention in Athens, GA

An intervention will probably go off the rails almost right away if you don’t plan it out accordingly. You’ll make all kinds of mistakes when you don’t take the time to plot out a clear strategy.

Start staging an intervention in Athens, GA the right way today so that it goes off without a hitch. It might not look exactly like what you’ve seen on TV, but you can still get the job done when you make the proper arrangements.

Take a look at our website to find out more about holding an intervention.