SolveYourProblem eLearning Series:
I Don't Want To Be Addicted Anymore!
( 13 pages )

How To Conduct An Addiction Intervention

Another popular recovery tool is called an intervention. An intervention generally refers to a planned gathering of people who know the addict and want to offer support and intervene to stop the addiction. Friends, family, co-workers, church members or in short close contacts meet and gently confront the person with the addiction to drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex or other behavior or substance addiction.

It is believed that by close contacts sharing their personal feelings and thoughts for the addict’s well being, the addict will feel safer and confront denial issues, opening up a pathway for recovery and healing. By actually being with so many caring people, the addict may also become motivated to seek help and change, and realize that he or she hasn’t faked everyone out with lies about the addiction. Many want to seek help so that they are not alone in their struggle any longer, preferring recovery and health instead.

The intervention team becomes part of their support network. Each member shares his or her own experiences with the addict and the problems arising from the addiction. And in turn, each shares their love, support and encouragement for recovery as well as any healing resources or tools they may have. For example, maybe one member who faced similar addiction issues found help from a local 12-step program and therapist, and brought the meeting information (location and times) plus the therapist’s phone number alone to share.

Trained people are also available to help groups with interventions. Some go through a 3-stage intervention program.

Stage I - This focuses on telephone coaching over the phone. A trained professional helps you build a foundation with hope and figure out whom to ask to join in an intervention plan. They also help strategize – gather the intervention team together, educate about goals and overall plan, and help with getting the addict to the intervention meeting the first time.

Stage II – This stage generally begins if no treatment has yet kicked into place after Stage I. Generally, the main person in charge of gathering the intervention team together meets with the professionally trained counselor get together for strategy planning about a half-dozen times. Note that the addict is not present at these. Goals are to educate, support and develop a plan of action that includes healing treatment with the one seeking help for the addict first.

Stage III – At this point, other intervention team members are brought in and counseled. And the addict is invited to the meetings where intervention members share their new boundaries and coping skills with the addict (if he or she comes along). The intervention members’ love and support are demonstrated more than once, and by now the addict has had multiple opportunities to enter recovery and treatment but has not yet taken the plunge to seek help.

Results with this 3-stage program are long-term help for not only the addict, but the support people as well. The addict is generally removed or placed outside the dysfunctional family environment. And both family and addict learn healthier behaviors, communication and coping skills. For more information about interventions, contact:

Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery
Outpatient Center
5409 N. Knoxville Ave.
Peoria, IL 61614
1-800-522-3784

Check with your libraries and bookstores for helpful intervention books. Here are a couple of popular ones:

• Crisis Intervention Strategies (with InfoTrac) (Counseling Series)
  by Richard K. James, Burl E. Gilliland Richard K. James, Burl E. Gilliland; Wadsworth Publishing; 4 edition (August 10, 2000).
• A Guide to Crisis Intervention, by Kristi Kanel; Wadsworth Publishing; 2 edition (February 21, 2002).

And check out what resources National Intervention Referral has available in your area by contacting them at (800) 399- 3612 (24 hours / 7 days), or by visiting them at and filling out their online form www.nationalinterventionreferral.org.

by SolveYourProblem.com > Home > Addictions Main Page