Types of Interventions for Addiction

There are conditions that people have where their issues could be fixed. If only the same individuals had reached out for help and sought the solution for it. Sadly, not everyone is willing or capable of doing such an action.

One example is addiction. People who have a substance abuse disorder are highly unlikely to reach out to people they know for help in fixing it. Truth be told, they are more likely to get in touch with people they know to instead secure resources for their next hit, as this is the nature of addiction.

In many cases, the only way to help people with addiction is through the direct approach, staging an intervention. This approach may not always be 100% successful, but it is still far better than not having any direct way of helping people in a situation that could potentially lead to death.

Professional interventionists typically suggest trying out one of the more common types of interventions, all of which are designed for a specific scenario to which the person with the addiction could relate. Each one is different as different people react differently to intimate interactions, which is what an intervention usually is.

What Is an Intervention?

An intervention is a staged event designed to encourage someone who needs help to seek or receive it. Any kind of intervention needs to be carefully planned and properly executed, or there is always the risk that the person needing help might feel threatened, persecuted, or betrayed. This will result in failure, and the person might not want to go through anything like it again.

Typically, an intervention should hope to achieve several results; all keyed into getting the person the help they need. These results should ultimately include:

Awareness

Have the person see and realize the extent of their trouble and why they need help. The person needing the help will almost always be in denial that they are in trouble and need any help.

Regardless of their denials, everyone involved must agree that the person needs help, and everyone who cares enough should see that they get that help. In many cases, getting the person to see their trouble is one of the most difficult things to do, as anyone with any kind of dependence issue to drugs, alcohol addiction, gambling, or anything else will not see their condition as “problematic”.

Motivation

After the hurdle of making the person aware of how much they need help, another difficult task is getting them motivated enough to actually want to receive help. There are many instances where the person could cave into the pleas of the people who did the intervention plan for them to seek help, but it just might end at that.

Getting the person motivated enough to want to seek help is vital to actually getting the ball rolling on their treatment. Having already agreed that they have a problem, they could still have enough resistance to make up all kinds of excuses not to push through with the needed help. In other instances, they could agree to receive help but keep pushing back on when they would get it.

Itemized Action Plan

Preparing an itemized action plan is the only way to deal with excuses, postponements, and the wishy-washy attitude toward seeking help. This plan should come with contingency measures should the person needing help try to wiggle their way out of getting treatment.

Not having a ready plan could also jeopardize the efforts to get the person the treatment they need, as this presents a window of opportunity for them to not go through with it. An action plan that is detailed, appropriate, and good to go will ensure that once things get rolling, they continue to do so until the ultimate goal is achieved.

What Is Needed to Make an Intervention Successful?

Even with the most enthusiastic of participants, interventions could still fail. The entire scenario is quite delicate, emotions could run high during the event, and sometimes even the smallest errors could tip the entire exercise to failure.

This is why certain things must be strictly observed during the actual intervention, as deliberate actions must lead to exact results with little room for error. There are instances where a failed intervention only serves to push the person needing help deeper into the problematic situation, which is why every effort must be put into making it right.

Proper Planning

There is a need to plan everything properly and as close to perfection as possible. Do not engage in a brief planning session; just hope everything turns out right. Ensure that all the bases are covered, that contingencies are in place, and that everything is done well ahead of a target date for the intervention.

The plan needs to cover everything from participants, dates, location, and where the treatment could be done. If all of this seems rather overwhelming, some professionals could be called on to plan, guide and help in the actual execution of the intervention.

Proper Timing

It goes without saying that if the intervention is for a person with a substance or alcohol abuse issue, it would be best to find the time when they are closest to being sober as possible. They need to understand what is happening and why it is happening, or it will all feel like entrapment and betrayal.

There is also a need to be conscious of the date when the intervention is planned. Be cautious about using significant dates for it, such as the birthday of a loved one or the death anniversary of someone significant to the person needing help. These dates could have special meaning to the person needing help, and depending upon the personal circumstances relevant to the dates; it could turn out to be either good or bad.

Proper Communication and Coordination

Participants need to know that the person needing help could feel like the intervention is a trap, and they will react to it accordingly. People who feel trapped tend to pick up on even the slightest physical cues of people around them. This is why all participants in the intervention need to communicate thoroughly and well ahead of the intervention. This will let everyone know what they need to say and when to.

Proper coordination must also be observed during the event, as everyone speaking simultaneously will only create chaos, which could rattle the person needing the intervention even more. Everyone participating needs to know when to speak and what to say so that everything done is deliberate and coordinated.

Proper Emotional Preparation and Expectations

An intervention will always cause emotions to flare up and sometimes out of control. People who are in the throes of intense emotion aren’t always in the best mind frame, causing them to say something potentially harmful to the intervention. This is why participants need to prepare themselves for the intense occurrences that could happen during the event.

There simply is no way to predict what might happen or what might be said during the intervention, which is why it would be best for the participants to keep an open mind and remember that the intervention is not about them and is being done on behalf of the one needing help.

What are the Intervention Types?

Even though some people share the same dependence issues, they could react differently to what could happen during an intervention. This is why there are several intervention types that professional interventionists suggest to be used based on individual assessments done on the people needing it.

Simple

People with dependence issues tend to be secretive and isolated, mostly trusting only a few. In some cases, there is just a single confidant; in this case, the simple intervention type would work best.

The simple intervention typically involves another person and a therapist being present during the intervention. This removes the chaos and confusion of having too many people present at once, with all of them having something to say.

Classic

The classic intervention is the one seen in most documented interventions, where a group of people comes together to confront a person with his or her addiction, be it to drugs, gambling, or anything else.

This type of intervention needs coordination and proper communication, as it could include people who are not family members and might not relate well with others.

Family

Having family members as participants is often expected to have a more intimate and understanding atmosphere during the intervention, but this is not always the case. Some people relate better with people outside of the family, as there could be some family conflicts.

Nevertheless, family intervention is mostly about love, support, and unconditional understanding of what the person needing the intervention is going through.

Crisis

Crisis intervention is the type needed when the luxury of time is not an option. Sometimes the issues could be at a crucial stage where the person could soon be in a life-threatening situation, and immediate action is needed.

This type could be fast and stressful and include the use of force in some instances, as the situation might make such things necessary.

Interventions Can Be Addressed at Illinois Recovery Center

There are several types of addiction interventions, including alcohol, opioid, prescription drug, or heroin addiction. Depending on the type of intervention and the amount of preparation put into the process, the result can be great or disastrous.. Contact us today to learn more about our programs and why drug intervention is needed.

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Published on: 2022-08-09
Updated on: 2024-07-12