Addiction Intervention: Intervention 101 – Getting Your Loved One Into a Rehab Center

Article by Karina Kaufman

When addiction hits home, when it has torn your family apart, when all else has failed and your loved one has hit rock bottom, it’s time to act. In recent years, the term “intervention” has become almost a buzz-word, an over-used and misunderstood term. But when rock bottom is where you’re at, it’s exactly what you need, and there are right and wrong ways to stage an intervention. There are things you can know and do that will help ensure the plan works, and your loved one gets the Addiction Treatment they need.

Things to be aware of when you think it’s time to organize an intervention:

Do be sure the person really is suffering from alcohol or Drug Addiction. Look at behavior, how their behavior has changed, how they interact with family members and other signs. Get multiple opinions.

Do seek out professional help. That may sound like an ad for the pros, but it’s just facing reality. Family members may have little experience dealing with conflict in a positive manner, and an intervention is a time to show support, not a free-for-all condemnation match. Interventions also have the potential to turn violent, and having a professional involved helps avoid the addict’s ability to manipulate family members.

Do present a united front. A family divided cannot stand firm in their goal. Make sure all family members who are committed to helping are there, ready to lend emotional support and presents a united front, so the loved one who needs help sees their entire family there for them, in agreement.

Do act in love and caring. This is not a time for anger or confrontation. This is a time to address the addict with love and support, getting them the help they need because you care.

Don’t forget to prep! Spend time with the professional you’ve brought in, discuss everything thing with them. Talk with each family member and share both good and bad experiences about your loved one. Practice how you will share these experiences during the intervention.

Don’t ambush unless you have to. If at all possible, let them know you’re having a serious meeting. If you can’t do that, resort to the “white lie” and tell them there’s a family get together. Just showing up at their home should be the last resort.

Do have an immediate action and treatment plan. Know your goals for the intervention – the goal is to get your loved one into a Rehab Center. Have it researched out. Know what kind of Drug Treatment Program is available and have a plan to get the addict into rehab within 24 hours after the intervention. Promises to do it “later” rarely come true. Go so far as to set up the admission, have plane tickets ready, rides and escort set up. That way you can say, “We love you and your bed is waiting for you.”

The fact is, by this point, the ability to stop substance abuse is no longer in your loved one’s control. Their lives have spiraled so far off course, their perceptions of the world have become so skewed by their addiction and the pursuit of it that they simply can’t make those kind of choices any more. They don’t even remember how.

Substance abuse dumps toxic levels of chemicals into their bodies, the lifestyle choices that support their addictions are self-destructive and only lead to further abuse. They need their “fix” just to feel “normal” and they don’t care what it takes to get it.

We all know the signs of addiction, but it’s easy to turn our backs and pretend we don’t see when it’s our own loved one caught in that cycle. When they can’t break free for themselves, those who love and care about them have to do it for them. You have to be willing to help the addict take that first step to recovery.

Intervention can seem overwhelming and even scary. It’s not an easy thing and should not be underestimated. The first steps are educating yourself, find a Drug Rehab center that’s right for your loved one, talk to an intervention specialist for help in scheduling this life-changing event, talk to family members and set up the rehab program so that everything is ready to go. Then take a deep breath and realize that no matter how hard it is, you’re saving the life of someone you love.

Love First: A Family’s Guide to Intervention

The top-selling book on intervention, Love First has helped tens of thousands of families, friends, and professionals create a loving and effective plan for helping those who suffer from addiction. Dispelling two damaging myths—that an addict has to hit bottom and that intervention must be confrontational—Jeff and Debra Jay’s proven approach puts love first and shows families, step by step, what to do.
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