The goal of intervention is to help someone get into recovery treatment and ultimately begin a life of sobriety. During an intervention, a group of loved ones aims to approach a person with support, comfort, and concern. They intend to get the person to commit to getting professional help, ideally recovery treatment in a substance abuse rehab program.
Typically, the events that take place during an intervention are decided upon beforehand. This places importance on all members of the group to be prepared. The group likely comes together before the intervention to discuss who will say what and in what order. In addition, the group selects a leader who will do the most talking during the intervention and guide the conversation. In some cases, the leader is an interventionist.
The following are some of the basic steps in the intervention process, but keep in mind that everyone’s journey to sobriety is different:
1. Speak to an interventionist and discuss the situation as well as a potential treatment plan
2. Create an intervention strategy with the interventionist, which specifically addresses the person struggling and their particular situation. Often participants write letters to read to explain how addiction has impacted them individually
3. A meeting place is chosen, ideally at a time of day when they would be sober
4. The goal of the intervention is to get the person to agree to go to treatment, but there is also a backup plan if they do not agree to go – as such, it is important to set boundaries and consequences if the loved one does not go to treatment
5. In most situations, the group involved in the intervention aims to get the person to reach a “moment of clarity,” where the group’s stories so move them that they agree to go to treatment
While interventions do not work for everyone, research suggests that one may be more likely to seek drug and alcohol treatment if an intervention is staged. The reality is that many do not fully grasp how profoundly their addiction affects those who they love the most, and an intervention is a powerful way to motivate someone to enter rehab.