6. Executing The Intervention

If you have done the first five steps for planning the intervention on the preceding pages, you are now ready as is possible for the intervention. Just remember your goals: getting the addict to admit he has a problem and getting him to voluntarily go into a treatment program!

Of course, no matter how well prepared you are, the intervention will not go exactly as planned. Remind yourself again that regardless of the outcome, you have nothing to lose, only to gain. If you feel a lot of fear about the whole process, remind yourself that non-action on your part will destroy the addict for sure. If you're afraid it will end what's left of the relationship you have with your loved one, remind yourself that without this intervention, this will transpire anyway! 

Getting the addict to the intervention

Here's where you need to be a little inventive. You could tell your loved one there is going to be a get together of friends and family at a certain location and that everyone is going to attend. Or, if his employer is willing to do it at his workplace, his boss could ask him to be there at a certain agreed time. There really are many ways to go about it! Just be inventive! Make sure that you have the keys to the car when you get to the intervention. If the addict has no car to drive, he may feel it is difficult to leave once the intervention begins. A definite psychological advantage for success!

Use caution! If you give him any indication of what is going to happen or if he becomes even slightly suspicious, he will do everything he can to avoid an intervention situation. The nature of his addiction, however, will usually not allow him to figure out what is going on until he is sitting down and the intervention begins.

Proceeding with the intervention

When the addict arrives at the intervention, he will of course immediately wonder what is going on.  As a response you could say: "Just relax and have a seat, we will explain everything in a minute!" At this point, it is good to quickly proceed with the intervention. You cannot give your loved one the opportunity to leave because he has gotten sense something is up. All members should immediately take a seat in their pre-determined spots.

Once this is done, the spokesperson for the group can begin with some opening remarks: "Jim, I know you're wondering what's going on. You know that everyone here cares a lot about you. All of us have been having some conversations over the last few weeks because we are all worried about certain things that have been happening to you. Please don't feel we are judging you! All we ask that you listen to what we have to say. We would really appreciate that!" As long as this statement shows concern and pleads him to listen (in other words, he needs to be silent), the stage is set for all members of the team to read their prepared facts. It is of extreme importance that everyone says something nice about the person before reading the bad stuff. For example, they could say :"You know, I've always thought you are one of the most caring people, but the last few months......" or "We've always had a good time doing things together, but..."  Be certain to stick to the agreed upon order that everyone is supposed to speak. The spokesperson is in charge of the group, so everyone should follow his/her lead. Remember that all his objections should be given a quick response and that you need to do everything in your power to keep the addict at the intervention until he is ready to seek addiction help.

As you go around the room, hearing all the factual stories about his behavior will hopefully make the addict realize he has a problem and needs help to deal with it. If everything goes well, the addict will agree he has a serious problem and needs help.   At this point, it is of the utmost importance that you explain more about the nature of addiction. Otherwise, he may tell you he understands he needs to change and is certain he can do so himself, without any help. Even though he may be sincere about that, don't let him fool you or himself. Be certain to tell him again that "doing it without outside help" is NOT an option. He needs to understand that addiction is something one cannot deal with on his own.  From this point, you may proceed to explain your chosen option for immediate drug treatment. Explain that you have visited a  drug treatment center  and spoken with the staff there and, that you were very impressed with their program ("its the best there is"). If your loved one has failed at treatment before, it is vital that you set your choice of treatment apart (again, tell him: "its the best there is!").

Ending the intervention

To end the intervention, you should have everyone in the group personally thank the alcoholic for listening and being strong. Have them tell him how proud they are that he is willing to seek help and that they love him.  Give him a big hug!  After that, immediately take him to treatment before he changes his mind. By doing so, you limit the possibility that he backs out or goes out and engages in more destructive behavior.

Planning An Intervention