Drug Rehab Interventions
For
most who eventually work through drug treatment into recovery, their journey
begins with an intervention. A common misconception is that an intervention
is enough to get someone to stop using drugs or drinking. To the contrary,
intervention is not an end but is instead a well-established route to further
help and rehabilitation. An intervention involves a coordinated, concentrated
effort on behalf of loved ones, family, and friends to get through to the
individual. Such sessions are emotionally charged and can be thus very difficult
to conduct.
Because
of the emotional and logistical difficulties of conducting an intervention
and coordinating treatment plans, most interventions are conducted by a
professional intervention service, a treatment center, or a licensed counselor.
Having a professional provider for the intervention offers several advantages,
including higher success rates for entrance into treatment (some services
are upwards of 95% successful), a plan for rehabilitation through an established
treatment center, and a neutral moderator. The presence of a neutral, experienced
moderator is one of the most important elements of a successful intervention.
Oftentimes, the individual on whom the intervention is conducted attempts
to change the direction of the conversation, turn attention elsewhere, or
argue their way out of the situation. A moderator is emotionally uninvolved
and can avoid these pitfalls of interventions.
An intervention
involves more than just the face-to-face session between the moderator,
concerned family/friends, and the individual. It also requires extensive
planning beforehand; such preplanning includes coordinating schedules of
friends and family and making treatment arrangements to ensure a spot is
available. When all the participants have been assembled, the individual
is brought in and told about the intervention. Family, friends, and loved
ones are given an opportunity to share their feelings, concerns, and love
for the individual. They are also encouraged to share how the individual’s
drug or alcohol abuse has hurt them or affected their lives. The individual
is asked to listen during this phase, although he or she is given an opportunity
later in the intervention to share.
Please contact us if you would like to know more about interventions or
need information about treatment facilities and services mentioned in this
article.