It is not uncommon to come across individuals who are abusing alcohol but do not realize or acknowledge that they have a problem. Sometimes their loved ones make them go through an alcohol treatment and rehab program, but they soon relapse. The success of any treatment and rehabilitation program depends on the willingness and active participation of the person with the addiction. An alcohol intervention helps your loved one in denial accept that they have a problem and warm up to the idea of seeking treatment and hoping for and believing in the best outcome.
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What is an Alcohol Intervention?
An alcohol intervention is a planned and structured meeting between a person who is abusing alcohol and their loved ones. The meeting can be initiated by family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, or a professional interventionist.
An intervention can be supervised by a professional interventionist, a counselor, therapist, or a psychologist with training and experience in managing such meetings. Sometimes a medical professional who is not an interventionist may also be present.
Objectives of Alcohol Intervention
The overarching objective of an alcohol intervention is to get someone who is an alcoholic to get help and to help his or her family. The most effective way to achieve this goal is to confront them with credible evidence of how their addiction is harming them and their loved ones.
A physician who is a part of the intervention can educate alcoholics about the adverse health effects of addiction. Family members who live with the addict can tell how their substance use disorder is harming family members while an employer can explain to them how alcoholism is affecting their performance at the workplace.
Sometimes alcoholics are not aware of how they are acting or behaving or do not remember their actions and words afterward. The loved ones of addicted individuals can use an intervention to tell them how their behavior has hurt them physically or emotionally.
High-functioning alcoholics and addicts can carry on and perform their personal and professional duties even under the influence of alcohol. They handle their finances, career, and relationships quite well.
They also manage to stay on the right side of the law. In such an instance, an alcohol intervention is the right opportunity to educate them on the potential adverse effects of their problem drinking habits.
The first alcohol intervention may not convince a person with an addiction to start treatment right away. Often a second intervention must be staged to present and discuss a holistic and realistic treatment regimen that they feel confident about. But for this to happen, the first intervention must be staged compassionately.
How to Stage an Alcohol Intervention
The three critical aspects to consider before staging an alcohol intervention are who will take part, what will be said and discussed, and when will the meeting take place.
Alcohol intervention can bring to the surface unpleasant emotions and long-buried psychological wounds.
Leave out children from the meeting. The issues that come up during the meeting and the truths that are revealed may be disturbing to children.
Preparing a script before the meeting is an excellent idea for several reasons.
An alcohol intervention script is a letter addressed to the person with the addiction. Preparing a script ensures you include every piece of information you want to convey. This is especially critical if you want to talk about the adverse health effects of alcoholism or present a treatment plan.
A great time to stage an alcohol intervention is just after your loved one was involved in an alcohol-fueled incident, like being jailed for driving under the influence of alcohol or getting involved in a drunken brawl at the pub. Feelings of guilt and shame are most intense when the memories are fresh, so they will be more receptive to your suggestion to attend an alcohol rehab program.
Alcoholism blunts reasoning abilities and prevents addicts from recognizing the red flags. Staging an alcohol intervention is an effective way to show care and support to your loved ones and help them take charge of their lives again.
