Family Interventions are often staged to deal with alcohol or drug abuse. Interventions can also be useful in situations involving addictions such as gambling. Because of patient confidentiality laws family intervention success rates are difficult to obtain.The A&E reality show Intervention claims a 71% success rate. According to Natasha Vargas-Cooper in The Daily Beast, The television show Intervention's success rate is due to 90-day stays in treatment facilities instead of the standard 28, training the family to do the intervention correctly and assignment to treatment facilities that are tailored to each addict's diagnosis and particular situation.
Preparation
Step 1
A family member selects a professional to facilitate the intervention. The professional should be a social worker, psychologist or physician. Ask about cost and availability of payment plans. Schedule a meeting with the interventionist.
Step 2
Obtain the support of other family members who will be able to treat the addict with kindness and respect. Invite them to meet with the interventionist. Be ready to discuss the specifics of the problem. Plan for two to five sessions.
Step 3
Decisions need to be made regarding the consequences for the addict if he or she does not agree to treatment. Inpatient treatment centers should be evaluated and an appropriate one chosen. Family members should be coached by the interventionist regarding what they will say at the intervention.
Step 4
Plans should be made regarding who will invite the subject of the intervention to the meeting and how it will explained to her.
Intervention
Step 1
Each family member in turn explains the reason they want the addict to seek treatment and provides examples of the behavior that led to the intervention. Each person has planned what they will say ahead of time. The meeting has a caring and concerned tone, not an accusing one.
Step 2
Consequences for not agreeing to treatment are outlined. The subject is given an opportunity to agree to treatment. If he agrees to treatment it will be started that same day.
Step 3
If the addict does not agree to treatment, the family may have a secondary plan ready that involves allowing the intervention subject to give up her addiction with some combination of outpatient treatment and methods devised by the addict herself. The family may decide to enforce the consequences if they feel that the secondary plan is not feasible.
Tips and Warnings
- The family should take advantage of the free support offered by Al Anon and Nar Anon. It is a myth that a person caught up in an addiction cannot be helped unless they want it. Even if the intervention is not successful at first, the advice of the interventionist often helps family members to recognize and stop the role they play in helping their loved one stay addicted.
- This article outlines steps that can be taken during an intervention. However, there is wide variation in situations and problems.The advice of a professional interventionist should always be sought and followed.
