A Guide to Success: Planning an Intervention

March 16, 2021
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Clinically Reviewed by Stephanie Behrens

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “over 23 million adults in the United States struggle with drug addiction at some point in their lives” That’s more than 10% of American adults! Of the people who struggle with addiction, 75% report never receiving any drug addiction treatment. It’s hard to admit when you need help. While you’re using drugs, you may not even realize the pain and damage you’re causing to your family and friends. For a person struggling with drug addiction, life in recovery often beings with planning an Intervention. Anchored Tides Recovery has 20+ years of combined experience helping women take steps towards a life in recovery. In our experience, we know that many times the road begins with a formal intervention. This blog will go over some tips and common mistakes made when it comes to interventions for substance abuse. An intervention is a helpful and sometimes necessary step in the healing process, but there can be negative consequences if you do not approach the situation properly. If you’re wondering how to stage an intervention, an excellent place to start is by understanding the process of a successful intervention, and clearly defining the primary goal.

What is an Intervention?

A typical intervention for an addict is an orchestrated attempt by a support group – usually close friends or family members – to convince someone to seek professional help for drug or alcohol dependence. Loved ones have a chance to share their emotions and address personal experiences regarding how the addicted person’s drug use has affected them. Once their side of the story is shared, they have the opportunity to show encouragement and support for their loved one to seek help.

The adverse consequences of substance abuse are well-known, yet a person trapped in the vicious cycle of addiction does not realize it until it’s too late. Drug dependence affects the quality of your life, induces mental health issues, causes withdrawal symptoms, and even suicidal behavior. Under the influence of drugs, a person loses the will to reconstruct their lives. At this stage, you may need to step in for crisis intervention and save your loved ones from a handicapped life of substance abuse. There has been an increase of interventions occurring in recent years due to shows like Dr. Phil or Intervention on A&E. The reason these segments are so popular on television is that an intervention is usually a dramatic and emotional experience. Despite Hollywood’s attention, walking in on an intervention for substance use disorder might be a drug user’s worst nightmare. Interventions are often met with resistance and hostility, bringing us to #1 on our list to approach interventions properly and have a clear plan of action.

Get Help From a Professional Interventionist

Trying to hold an intervention without first seeking professional help is a common mistake. There are many rehabilitation programs offered at various treatment centers that employ intervention specialists to aid you in the process. They act as a host to the event and make sure that everything is done correctly. When appropriately handled, an intervention should remain constructive towards the ultimate goal of supporting the addict’s health and recovery from substance abuse. There is a cost involved in hiring professional treatment providers. Still, this cost is worth it because this step is often the difference between your loved one storming out or your loved one accepting help. Substance abuse behavior brings various health issues, and sometimes people involved in the intervention have held on to a lot of frustration and anger. A moderator with no emotional attachment can make sure that these emotions get appropriately expressed. If they aren’t, then you may trigger an altercation, resistance, or even violence. A professional moderator has enough experience to control the situation before it escalates into something destructive. The sensitive nature of the emotions involved in the treatment process leads us to our next tip for success on the road to recovery.

Choose The Intervention Team Carefully

An intervention is a group effort. If you are organizing an intervention for an addict, you will have to determine the form of treatment and the right people to invite to join. You want to avoid involving too many people because you run the risk of intimidating or overwhelming the person. A small intervention team of 4 to 8 people who are closest to the person and have been affected the most is best. The ideal attendee is someone whose opinions matter the most to the addict, someone they love and respect, who has also personally been affected by their addictive behaviors. You may know an attendee who seems ideal in some cases, but they are harboring resentment in a negative or unhealthy way. If you think this person will have too difficult a time expressing their emotions constructively and calmly, it may be best not to include them. Tell them there will be an intervention but let them know you think it would be best for them not to be involved in the process just yet. Once you have the right group of people for participation in treatment for substance abuse, you’re ready for the next step.

Rehearse

There may only be one opportunity to do the intervention the right way. Since it is fragile and volatile by nature, your best chance for success comes from being fully prepared. People under the effects of drugs are often reluctant to the idea of a treatment program because they don’t want to appear vulnerable and weak.

Here are a few aspects of going over in your rehearsal:

Understand their patterns of behavior
The structure and type of intervention
Decide who will speak and when
Take turns practicing what you will say.
Discuss a plan of how you will get your addicted loved one to the intervention
Pick a day and time for the actual intervention.
What is the goal after the intervention?

Once you’ve rehearsed how the intervention should ideally go, there is one last important piece of the puzzle before you move forward.

Have a Plan of Action

Change is necessary to keep the intervention on track. You can’t simply go back to life as usual in the end. Experience shows that the more time that passes after an intervention, the less effective the intervention will be—so having a plan and being ready to take steps toward life in recovery immediately after the intervention is the last critical step. Planning out what comes immediately after the intervention is another aspect in which hiring intervention specialists may show added value. A professional interventionist may utilize connections in the industry to help move forward as quickly and efficiently as possible to treat substance abuse and underlying mental health disorders. Having a bag packed with the essential items and a bed at a residential inpatient facility, or medically assisted detox program are extremely helpful ways to follow up with the intervention. Enough is Enough Getting through to a loved one who is battling drug and alcohol addiction can be frustrating. If you feel like you’ve tried everything, but nothing is working, an intervention may guide your loved one to accept help. Intervention for substance abuse is a very emotional and delicate process. It may be difficult initially, but it could be the best thing for them in the long term. Drug and alcohol abuse have devoured the lives of so many brilliant people. Anchored Tides Recovery believes that the right environment for substance abuse treatment is one crucial factor of the recovery process. We believe in the concept of “Treatment for women, by women.” so we’ve created a gender-specific environment for women to be able to thrive. If your loved one decides after their intervention that they think they’d be comfortable taking the path to recovery in a female-only environment. We provide formal treatment and encourage positive action in a community setting to feel alienated. Contact Us, and one of our medical professionals will talk to you about various treatment plans and intervention options. Our rehabilitation center provides a range of treatment options that treat substance abuse and ensure your abstinence from alcohol and drugs. Healing starts here.

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Clinically Reviewed by the Clinical Director & Clinical Outreach

Stephanie Behrens is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, who earned her Masters in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Stephanie has been working in the treatment industry since 2014 and joined the Anchored Tides Recovery team as Clinical Director and Clinical Supervisor in 2024. She also enjoys working as a therapist and specializes in substance abuse, complex trauma, co-dependency, and anxiety/depressive disorders. Stephanie also has an interest in animal-assisted psychotherapy where she and her dog are certified as an official therapy dog team. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends and her Golden Retriever.