Staging a successful intervention can feel daunting because, in its essence, it’s a life-saving procedure. Most people are conflict-averse, so the idea of sitting someone down and talking about their substance abuse in pointed ways is a scary one.

If you are considering an intervention for a friend or a loved one, you’ve come to the right place. Planning is the key to a successful intervention. Mindfulness of place, people, words, and actions will go a long way to ensuring your loved one will begin their path to recovery.

What Is an Intervention?

Intervention may not be rock bottom, but it is supposed to feel like it. Imagine your reaction if your friends and family organized to tell you that your life needs to change. The initial feelings will be a mix of shock, betrayal, anger, and despair.

This is why intervention is typically saved for those who refuse to admit they have a problem or refuse any treatment. Remember that it is not a confrontation but an act of love. Due to its sensitive nature, the first step to any successful intervention is to contact a drug intervention specialist. This is a professional who can manage a successful intervention.

They serve as a neutral party to keep the process from getting acrimonious, ensuring friends and family are educated about substance abuse issues and on the same page.

Assemble the Team for a Successful Intervention

Now that you and a professional have decided an intervention is the best way forward, it’s time to choose who will help you do it. For starters, anyone suffering from substance abuse issues themselves should not be a part of the intervention team. Their association would make the target of the intervention feel unfairly singled out.

Close friends, family members, or the children of the person you are trying to help should become part of the successful intervention team. It’s important to invite those who matter the most, people the addict admires or relies on for financial support.

Some people’s personalities are not cut out for an intervention. They may be hot-tempered or not entirely appreciative of the process of drug rehabilitation. If someone has a history of aggression toward the addict, you might be forced to make a difficult call and not reach out to them for participation.

Remember, successful interventions make the addict feel loved and supported. They must get better for themselves and others, not be aggrieved and attacked.

Letter Drafting for Successful Interventions

The next step is to have everyone write a letter explaining their feelings toward the addict and their condition. The reason for the letter is amidst the emotions and challenging conversation, words tend to get lost, and thoughts aren’t communicated in productive ways. The letter can serve as a roadmap to avoid this and ensure everyone on the team is working toward a common goal.

A typical successful intervention letter will begin with a profound and honest statement of love. The letter can begin with, “I love you dearly. You are one of the most important people in my life, and my days have been filled with joy for having known you.” It could also help to include specific details about your relationship with this person, such as a particular thing about them that makes you happy.

The letter will then express concern. It’s essential not to get into accusations or name-calling here but rather to describe how their condition has affected them, you, and the world. It’s important to be precise, incisive, powerful, and not wishy-washy. As with the good, be specific with the bad and mention instances where the addiction had negative consequences. This is the meat of the intervention, to discuss the destructive behaviors. Therefore, you need to be explicit.

Never make your letter personal. An important tactic here is to couch your statements in medical language. Communicate clearly that they have an addiction, a treatable condition, and their actions while under the influence aren’t who they truly are. This will go a long way in reminding the addict that good people can have bad days.

Finally, ask them to accept treatment. A successful intervention ends with a call to action, whether outpatient or in a facility; we can help you decide what is best for your loved one.

If the addict’s condition is especially awful or they have failed to address it many times before, a letter will sometimes end with an ultimatum. It will be delivered as an if-then statement, for example, “If you don’t accept treatment, then I will not invite you to my house any longer.” This should be excluded if it’s unnecessary and the addict has been open to making changes.

Rehearse for a Successful Intervention

Although all interventions will be different, their success relies on planning. Most will have rehearsals to iron out any problems that may arise. Here, loved ones will share their letters and help each other understand the condition. All successful interventions will be collaborative experiences.

Part of the rehearsal will be picking a place and time. Generally, addicts don’t come to their interventions by their own choice, so finding a familiar place where they feel safe will be necessary.

Additionally, it’s crucial to choose a time when the addict will be sober. Consider the strategy of spending time with your loved one before taking them to the intervention so you can ensure their sobriety and participation.

Make Every Necessary Arrangement

It’s vital for a successful intervention to tell your loved one they need to quit and give them a viable path to recovery with actionable steps.

Before anyone demands that the addict receive therapy, they should know precisely what is meant by that. Will it be therapy sessions, outpatient treatment, facility care, group meetings, or something else?

Have arrangements been made for your loved one’s transportation if travel is required? Treatment must begin as soon as possible following the intervention so the addict doesn’t have time to do anything rash or change their mind.

Therefore it’s critical to be in touch with experts who can make a personalized recovery plan for your loved one. The notes you’ve written as a group may come in handy in making therapists better understand the patient and their needs.

Most importantly, don’t lose your cool. A lot may happen that you cannot plan for. Be aware that emotions may run hot; your loved one might yell or lash out and say things they don’t mean. Facts and details about the lives of others revealed in retaliation by the addict during the intervention as a defense mechanism should never derail why you are there.

The mission is to complete a successful intervention and help your loved one become the best version of themselves.

GH Recovery Solutions

Whatever step of the process you are in, GH Recovery Solutions can help. We offer personalized treatment, recovery facilities, sober homes, and outpatient assistance.

If you have any questions about staging a successful intervention or drug rehabilitation overall, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and contact us at (855) 448-3638. Professionals will be there to help seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Start making a difference in your loved one’s life today.