If a person who you love is suffering from addiction, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s estimated that one in seven Americans will experience addiction in their lifetime. Only ten percent of these people receive help.
Don’t allow the addict in your life to become yet another statistic. Ensure that they receive the professional help they need.
An intervention is a great place to start. By showing them that they have people in their life who care about their wellbeing, they will be more likely to accept treatment.
If you want to know how to do an intervention that creates powerful results, keep reading. We have ten clear and effective tips on how to get your loved one the help they deserve.
1. Start with a Clear Plan
Before staging an intervention, be sure to have a clear plan. Springing an intervention on someone will never go well.
Take as much time as you need to get yourself, your family, and your friends on the same page. Be sure to make the time, location, and purpose of this intervention crystal clear. Creating a specific plan will help everyone feel more comfortable when the time comes.
2. Create a Team
The people present during an intervention should be close friends and family of the addict. They should also be people who the addict trusts and cares about.
These people can make or break the intervention’s success. When creating a team, don’t involve too many participants. This will be overwhelming for everyone.
3. Contact Professionals Beforehand
If you’re feeling lost when it comes to helping the addict in your life, it’s okay. Don’t expect yourself to have all the answers.
Contact a professional addiction care treatment program before staging the intervention. They will be able to walk you through the right way to handle this event and how to move forward when it’s done. To find a trustworthy institution, make sure they provide excellent testimonials.
4. Compile Specific Examples
If you’re wondering how to have an intervention that creates a powerful and lasting impact, including specific examples is a must. By this, we mean instances of how the addict’s disease has affected each person present.
Have each participant make a list of specific examples of times that the addict’s drug or alcohol abuse has affected them. These examples will help the addict to see the impressions their addiction makes on others’ lives.
5. Prepare a Plan for Treatment
Interventions are most successful when you have a plan for care in place beforehand. This way, when you sit down with the addict in your life and suggest that they get help, you can also provide them with an accessible game plan.
Keep in mind that the easier you make it for them to enroll in a treatment program, the better. If it helps, you can offer to bring them straight to a rehabilitation center following the intervention. Giving them time to think may cause them to change their mind.
6. If You’re Unsure of How to Do an Intervention, Practice First
They say that practice makes perfect. This philosophy is good to keep in mind when you’re figuring out how to hold an intervention for your loved one.
After all, staging an intervention can be nerve-wracking. Sitting down with your team in advance and practicing what to say will help everyone feel more comfortable and prepared.
7. Keep Your Plan Discreet
It is vital to keep your plans for the intervention a secret. If the addict finds out about the intervention ahead of time, they aren’t likely to show up.
Although this may feel dishonest or sneaky, it’s for their own good. And, by inviting them to spend time with friends and family, you aren’t lying.
8. Ensure That Everyone Has a Chance to Speak
Interventions are emotional. And heightened emotions can create heightened reactions.
Remind your team to refrain from yelling or making light of the situation. Encourage them to read up on how to stay calm during stressful circumstances. Ensure that everyone has a chance to speak their mind.
9. Use Ultimatums If Necessary
Ultimatums may be useful when figuring out how to stage an intervention that works for you and your family. Although they can seem harsh or rigid, they are an effective way to create real change.
Ultimatums will help you and your team avoid arguments. After all, arguments are an easy way for addicts to remain in denial.
Rather than creating a grey area where an addict can hide, make your terms black and white. If your loved one sees real consequences for their actions in the near future, they’ll be more likely to comply with treatment.
10. Follow Through
Following through after an intervention can be even harder than the event itself. Because if the addict in your life doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain, you will need to enforce the consequences which you put on the table.
We understand that this is difficult. Seeing a loved one in distress is a horrible feeling. But unless you follow through on your promises, they will never follow through on theirs.
Stick to your word, especially if you have given your loved one an ultimatum. Seeing that you and your team are serious will help them realize it’s time to make a change.
You Can Do This
Learning how to do an intervention can seem overwhelming. But, if you follow the ten tips above, you’re sure to have the best results possible from the intervention with your loved one.
Remember to bring together a small team of friends and family, to create a clear plan, and to talk to a professional ahead of time. And don’t feel guilty about keeping the intervention a secret or about giving ultimatums.
You are doing what’s best for your loved one. And one day, they will thank you for it.
If you’re looking for a reliable treatment center in Athens, Georgia, or you want more information, check out our treatment program page. We’re here to help!