Alcohol abuse and alcoholism is never an easy subject to discuss with a loved one who may struggle with these issues. It is tempting to directly confront a friend or family member that struggles with alcoholism, but that may backfire without a properly established alcohol addiction intervention.
Movies and TV tend to dramatize interventions to be a tense moment or a surprise-jump event for the person who requires the intervention. The movies and television shows don’t always portray the necessary planning and preparation that goes into a professional intervention. However, these interventions can tend to be emotionally profound and stressful moments for the interveners as well as the addicted family member/friend.
So what can family members, close friends, and others do to establish a safe and effective alcohol intervention in Portland OR? When is it time to think about alcohol addiction treatment in Portland? Below, we’ve highlighted some key steps to ensure that your intervention is as effective as possible. All these steps help your struggling loved one to know you care and want to help them fight their alcohol addiction.
Step 1: Build a Team
Anytime you establish an intervention, make sure that your team is full of family members and friends that are close to the addicted person. An intervention’s best strength is when the people closest to the struggling addict attempt to confront and share their feelings.
In addition, you’ll want family and friends that will also help to motivate their loved one struggling with alcohol addiction. Motivation tactics may include increasing social visits, reigniting hobbies, and jumpstarting a career or personal passion.
Avoid bringing in any acquaintances that may be friendly but not entirely supportive of the goals of intervention. These may include people like drinking buddies or other people that encourage the addict to keep drinking.
Step 2: Find a Time and Place
The best time to host an intervention is when anyone with a drinking problem is sober or in-between binge drinking patterns.
For an intervention to work, the addict has to be sober. Otherwise, they may fail to understand the gravity of the intervention due to impaired thought and substance dependency. Holding an intervention while the alcoholic is drunk is not likely to promote the key goals of addressing alcohol dependency and motivating positive behavior change.
Learn when your loved one is more likely than not to binge drink to find an appropriate time. Once you’ve established a time you should try and find a neutral setting to host the intervention.
If you host the intervention in a house, then you may increase the chance the addict retreats, and shutters out intervention guests entirely. Try hosting the alcohol addiction intervention at a specialist’s venue including an interventionist or therapist’s office.
Step 3: Rehearse the Intervention
Before the intervention begins, try and rehearse it to keep it organized and structured. Interventions can be highly emotional moments and potentially derail if all participants are not able to control emotions.
Determine the order of family members to speak, calm air grievances, and learn how to effectively support an alcoholic loved one. Painful memories can lead to powerful emotional responses but all interveners must try and control emotions and show their support.
Ultimately, a good rehearsal can drastically improve the outcome of an alcohol intervention.
Step 4: Seek Professional Help
If you want to ensure the best chance for success, then you should consider professional help. Hiring an intervention specialist is a way to increase the chances of your loved one getting the help they need.
A professional interventionist can provide support in the form of pre-intervention meetings and emotional support during the intervention. In addition, this person can provide information about the admission process at an addiction treatment center.
Consider hiring an intervention specialist if you want to increase the chances of a successful alcohol intervention.
Step 5: Follow Up After the Intervention
The intervention is not the end-all be-all solution to addressing an addicted family member or friend’s drinking problem. In fact, it’s just the beginning.
The intervention should be seen as the starting point for your loved one’s road to recovery. After the intervention, you’ll want to make sure that you provide support to your loved one as they enter treatment.
You can do this by attending family therapy sessions and visiting them in rehab. During this time, you’ll continue to show your support through weekly phone calls or social visits.
Whatever you do, make sure that you continue to show your support long after the intervention is over.
Where Can I Find Help to Host an Alcohol Intervention?
Families that need to break through to a loved one through an alcohol intervention should contact Crestview Recovery about an alcohol addiction intervention. Our specialist teams include therapists and interventionists who can customize any intervention needs to your family’s unique situation.
An alcohol intervention needs to be supportive, stern, and ultimately a road to recovery for any struggling alcoholic. If you want more information please contact our support team at 866.262.0531!
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
