Having a loved one struggle with addiction is one of the most difficult things a person can go through. Sometimes, you feel powerless, like you have no choice but to stand back and watch them spiral downward. However, in many cases, staging an intervention can push someone to get the addiction treatment they so desperately need.
Recognizing Signs of Addiction
Before staging an intervention, you will need to recognize that your loved one is in fact dealing with addiction. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, over 20 million people suffer from addiction, making it very likely someone you know will struggle with it at some point. To recognize addiction, you will have to know the signs to look out for. These are:
- Behavioral Signs: These are changes in a person’s behavior. You will usually notice frequent denial despite obvious drug use, hiding drug use, lying, stealing, and loss of self-control.
- Physical Signs: There are many hard-to-hide physical signs of addiction, including weakness, fatigue, insomnia, slurred speech, poor hygiene, bloodshot eyes, and sudden weight gain or loss.
- Emotional Signs: Addiction often wreaks havoc on a person’s emotions. You should be on the lookout for sudden mood swings, personality changes, irritability, lack of motivation, depression, anxiety, and paranoia.
Being knowledgeable of these signs can help you determine whether or not a loved one is suffering from addiction and needs you to stage an intervention.
Find a Mediary
A mediary is the person who facilitates communication and helps resolve conflict between individuals during the intervention. The mediary should be a neutral third party, usually a professional counselor or therapist with intervention experience. It is extremely important that they are neutral, as this will prevent the addicted person from feeling attacked or ganged up on. The mediary can also help to guide you through the planning of the intervention, giving it the best chance of being a success.
Determine Participants
One of the most important parts of planning an intervention is deciding who will participate. Participants should all be people who the person with the addiction respects and trusts. This can include family members, friends, or coworkers. You should avoid including anyone who has a conflict unrelated to the person’s addiction. This could cause the focus of the intervention to be pulled away from the addiction. You should also only include people who you believe can keep their emotions under control. Someone who becomes overly emotional or confrontational during the intervention can completely derail the entire process, even making it a complete failure in some cases.
Make a Plan
The best interventions are carefully planned. After deciding the guest list, ask everyone for their schedules. This will allow you to choose a time when everyone is able to make it. You will also need to choose the location. You should choose somewhere that the person with the addiction will feel comfortable. This could be their home, a family member’s home, or a friend’s home. Holding the intervention in such a place will lessen the chances that the addicted person feels cornered and flees.
Find Help Resources
Helping your loved one break free of addiction is not something you have to do on your own. There are plenty of resources at your disposal, including treatment centers, detox programs, hotlines, and community support groups. These resources can help you learn more about addiction and the best way to go about helping your loved one who is struggling with it. Of these resources, a treatment center is one of the most important. Ideally, at the end of an intervention, the person will be ready to go into treatment immediately. You should have a treatment center with space ready to take them should this happen.
Tips for a Safe and Supportive Intervention
Staging an intervention can be a daunting task. Here are some tips to ensure yours is safe and supportive:
- Have empathy and compassion. Make sure the addicted person knows that the intervention is coming from a place of love and care.
- Share personal impact statements. Each attendant should share how they have been affected by the addiction, giving specific examples.
- Offer solutions and support. Make sure the addicted person knows that if they are ready for treatment, you will get them help immediately.
By following these tips, you can ensure the intervention is safe, supportive, and hopefully successful.
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