Planning an Alcohol Treatment Intervention

If you’ve never planned an alcohol treatment intervention before or sometimes even if you have planned such an intervention before it can be very overwhelming and difficult. You are worried about your loved one and you only want what’s best for them but at the same time you’ve got a thousand things going through your mind such as– will they accept the help, will they go into treatment, will they fight you, will they hate you for trying, what if they don’t go, what happens next. The list of questions you have could potentially go on an on.

Planning an alcohol treatment intervention begins with determining who you will invite to take part with you on the intervention. Not everyone will actually want to take part in the intervention and in fact some people may choose against it all together. Additionally, there are some people who shouldn’t be a part of the alcohol treatment intervention including those who drink with the addict or anyone who has a drug or alcohol problem. Allowing people who also have substance abuse problems to take part in the intervention only fuels the flames that the addict will have to throw when the intervention starts.

Once you have decided who will be at the alcohol treatment intervention, consider where the intervention will take place. Make sure that the location that you choose is convenient to the alcoholic. This may mean that it creates an inconvenience for you but that’s ok. Consider choosing a location that is local and one that your loved one comes to often. Usually, an alcohol intervention can take place at the addict’s home or at the home of another family member.

Consider the fact that you cannot begin an alcohol treatment intervention until the addict is actually sober which could potentially take quite a long time so locations such as restaurants or hotel lobbies are not always the best place for such an intervention to take place. Additionally, the intervention could become quite emotional with both the addict and the family members becoming emotionally upset (angry, sad or overwhelmed) so the intervention should take place in a private residence preferably at the home of a family member.

An interventionist can help you to handle the additional aspects of an intervention but basically, once you have decided who to invite and where the intervention will take place you have to determine a date and time to attempt the intervention. Then everyone should come together and develop a plan of action. It’s important that you already have a plan as to where the addict will get help, who will get them there and also how it will be paid for. The interventionist can help you to decide where to send your loved one for treatment, how to pay for it and also how to get them to actually accept the help that is being offered to them.

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