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What is an Addiction Intervention?

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As someone who loves and deeply cares for someone who is struggling with addiction, we often feel powerless, hopeless, and helpless. While standing on the sidelines, sometimes it’s true that there isn’t much you can do for someone who is struggling with addiction without further aiding their bad habits. If you’ve set firm boundaries with your addicted loved one, you might already know that at this point, you’re just not ready to give up yet. This is where many people seek out the help of intervention specialists.

An intervention is a meeting that has the goal of motivating or inspiring the person with an addiction to get help. Interventions usually require the services of a physician or other licensed professional with experience in addiction to either consult or facilitate the intervention with friends, family, and loved ones of the addict. Interventions are a process, they’re carefully planned to ensure maximum efficiency. 

Even though an intervention by nature is confrontational, they are designed to address the problem at hand in a clear, logical way that can be easily comprehended by the individual. Although the message is stated loud and clear, interventions are full of love, kindness, compassion, and respect for the person who is suffering. 

Because different people have different personalities, addictions, and past experiences, each intervention is designed to work best for the individual it serves to help. That’s why It’s important to consult with a licensed professional with experience in addiction or addiction counseling. There are many approaches and options and it’s best to find out what approach may work best for your loved one. 

While the ultimate goal is to show the individual that everyone in attendance loves and cares for them and wishes to see them get better, not all reactions are the same. Before attempting any intervention, assessing the risk of a violent or destructive reaction is important. 
If you or planning or want to plan an intervention, please take all appropriate safety measures before-hand and consult with a licensed professional. 

Reference
N.D. “Intervention: Help a Loved One Overcome Addiction”. The Mayo Clinic. (Website). 2017

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