What to Expect at an Intervention
An intervention is often the last hope for the family or friends of a drug addict. One of the ways the disease of addiction affects an addict is by promoting drug-seeking behavior, convincing themselves that there isn’t a problem, or ignoring the obvious problems caused by the abuse. Drug addiction is a treatable disease with success rates closely matching the rates of diabetes treatments. What to expect at an intervention that is done successfully is the co-operation of the individual in getting the treatment they need.
Find Out What to Expect at an Intervention For Addiction
In this article, we will look at what to expect at an intervention at the different stages as well as addiction intervention strategies.
What to Expect Before the Intervention Happens
Planning an intervention can be stressful. An addiction intervention specialist can make the entire process much easier by bringing their expertise to the planning and execution of the intervention.
- Participants – One of the first things that need to be decided is who is going to attend the meeting. The people that are included in the intervention should care about seeing the addict recover from the addiction and people who have been affected by the addict’s behavior.
- Time and place – The time of the meeting should be held when it is likely that the addict is not high. The place should be somewhere comfortable for all people involved, such as at someone’s home.
- What to say – Each person who is going to attend the intervention should think about what they are going to say. These should not be assaults on the person but rather how each person has been negatively affected by the substance abuse.
- Treatment program preparation – Do some research and find a nearby rehab that is able to treat an addiction properly. The program needs to be ready to enter right after the meeting so that the addict doesn’t have a chance to change his or her mind.
What to Expect During the Intervention
What to expect at an intervention while it is occurring can vary depending on the addict, who attends and whether there is an addiction intervention specialist present. Some of the common occurrences during an intervention include:
- Agitation – What to expect at an intervention is often an agitated or an annoyed addict. If that is how the addict feels then the people attending should remind the addict that they only want to help them.
- Sharing – Once the addict begins to listen to what everyone has to say, each person will then share their negative experiences with the addict. Try to stay factual with the comments and avoid attacking the person with emotional outbursts. These outbursts and judgments will only serve to make the addict defensive.
- Ultimatum – What to expect at an intervention during the end of it is an ultimatum. This ultimatum is usually given as a group with the goal of communicating to the addict that they must change or suffer severe consequences.
Expectations after the Intervention
An intervention can end in one of two ways: the addict sees the need for treatment and goes to rehab or they ignore the assistance and then must face the consequences. By following effective addiction intervention strategies the chances of a successful meeting is increased but not guaranteed. All the attendees can do if the addict is not willing to get treatment is to follow through on their ultimatum. This is important to ultimately help the individual because if the consequences are severe, it can cause the addict to accept the help offered.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, get help right away. Make a phone call that will connect you to a professional drug treatment center. The call you make may save your life or the life of someone you love. Call us today at (800) 429-7690.