The Basics
If you've ever seen the A&E TV program you have an idea about what to expect from an intervention. If not, here's briefly what an intervention is:

An intervention is when family and friends confront their loved one about the consequences of their addiction and ask that person to accept treatment. The primary outcome of the intervention is to get that person to say “yes” to treatment immediately.

Before getting to “yes” the intervention will:

  • Give examples of the person's destructive behaviors and how that's affected friends and family.
  • Have each person state what they will do if their loved one refuses treatment.
  • Offer a prearranged treatment plan.

So how do you hold an intervention?

The Intervention Process
Here are the most common intervention steps:

  • Planning. A family member or friend decides to intervene and forms a group. The group discusses their loved one's problem and research the addiction and potential treatment programs. The group can also contain co-workers, clergy, or anyone who is concerned about the individual. Each person should be able to offer love, support and compassion and not judgment or anger.
  • Meeting with an interventionist. An interventionist is usually a licensed counselor or psychotherapist certified by the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (ICRC) and the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC). The interventionist educates and trains the group and will facilitate the intervention. 
  •  Deciding an approach With the interventionist, you'll discuss the addiction and how best to approach the intervention. The interventionist will give you common addict objections and how to overcome them. The group will find a treatment program and make arrangements to enroll their loved one. 

Here is where you'll decide whether you want:

1) to surprise the individual with the intervention
2) invite the individual

The surprise method can sometimes make the addict defensive. The invitational approach (Systemic and A.R.I.S.E. methods) involves the family in the intervention and the subsequent treatment.

Once you decide the approach, set a day and time to intervene.

  • Writing a letter to the loved one. Each person writes a letter describing his or her love and concern. Talk about happier times but also detail your concerns. Be honest about specific times that the drugs and alcohol had negative effects on your life. Give times, dates and details no matter how graphic. Tell that person how it made you feel and what costs there were to the relationship. 

Finally, tell your loved one you will support him or her if they agree to treatment. But if they don't agree, there will be consequences. You'll have to decide what those consequences are—cutting that person out of your life or no longer financially supporting.

  • The intervention. This is often a very emotional time for all involved. Years of pain bubbles to the surface. How the addicted will respond and act is hard to know. It's important to have the interventionist facilitate. 

Each person reads their letter and asks the individual to accept treatment on the spot. They'll let the individual know clearly what the consequences will be if they don't accept treatment.

Do Interventions Work?
That depends on how you define success. Will it get the individual in to treatment? That is highly likely.

A poll taken at the National Association of Independent Interventionists Conference (AIS) in showed that 90% of patients entered treatment as a result of a professional intervention.

But when looking at the success of the individual becoming clean, the numbers are lower. Many addicts will bounce in and out of rehab for years before they finally quit. Some never do.

A&E's Intervention TV series has a success rate of 71% sobriety—130 out of 161 are still clean.

Even If They Refuse
Some will say “no.” But if they do, there are still positives gained from the intervention process:

    • You've taken away the enabling.
    • Friends and family now understand addiction and are better prepared for future encounters with their loved one.
    • Friends and family learn about addiction resources such as treatment centers.
    • The addiction is now out in the open.
    • If you've established a contingency plan (holding off on the consequences for a set time period), there's still time to get your loved one into treatment.