Planning an Alcohol Intervention?

If you have a friend or family member who is suffering from alcoholism, you are no doubt aware of the byproduct of the disease. You’ve probably witnessed the alcoholic isolate from friends and family, a decline in health, problems at work, depression and perhaps criminal issues. To make matters worse, alcoholism has been described as progressive, meaning that over time it gets worse. To put it a different way, where the alcoholic is presently at in his lifestyle and overall condition is as good as it gets for him. And for most alcoholics, that condition is dismal.

You may have tried to convince the alcoholic to get help. You’ve begged, pleaded and cried, all to no avail. Alcoholics are brilliant with their defense mechanisms, and will say and do most anything to get you off his back, end the conversation and resume his drinking in peace.

One option in dealing with alcoholics is to do nothing and hope he hits the proverbial “bottom” and magically requests help. Sometimes this option works, but the potential downside is huge. “Bottoms” oftentimes include death, jail and/or irreversible health problems. The question is, why would friends and family members allow the alcoholic to go that route if another option is available?

The option I’m referring to is an alcohol intervention. An alcohol intervention is a process orchestrated by friends and family members in an attempt to stop the destructive and life-threatening behavior of a person suffering from alcoholism. Some people view an alcohol intervention as an unwarranted intrusion into the life of an alcoholic. Quite the contrary is true. While alcoholics may very well be upset at the notion of a family intervention, the family needs to understand that any such anger is the result of the disease doing its best to maintain the addiction and perpetuate the disease. If the intervention team is properly coached on what to say and how to act throughout the process, an intervention can be one of the most loving, caring and supportive event a family can do for their loved one who is suffering from the addiction.

If you are considering an intervention, the first item of importance is the question of treatment. You simply do not go forward with an intervention unless the treatment facility is lined up and ready for him to admit. And, since treatment is the solution to the problem, the family needs to address a variety of questions relating to the desired treatment facility. What treatment facilty will best suit the alcoholic’s needs? Does he treat close to home or far away? Are there dual diagnosis issues? Who will pay? Is there medical insurance available? The above questions represent a portion of what needs to be addressed when considering a treatment facility. It may seem overwhelming, but with the assistance of an intervention specialist and/or other medical health practitioners, the treatment facility selection process is manageable.

The next item of importance when considering an intervention is the formation of an intervention team. You might have noticed that past one-on-one conversations with an alcoholic usually result in extreme frustration and anxiety on your part, and no change from the alcoholic. The alcoholic will employ a variety of defense mechanisms to diffuse your attempts. Responses such as “I don’t have a problem, get off my back, I’ll just go to an AA meeting, I can quit on my own, you are making a big deal out of nothing” are just a sampling the denial-based responses you may have heard. The presence of a group of properly coached friends and family members delivering “testimony” in a loving and supportive manner has the tendency to remove the alcoholic from his defense-minded comfort zone and, significantly, out of his head and into his heart.

Treatment facility selection and the formation of a team represent two major decisions when organizing an alcoholic intervention. There are other substantive and logistical considerations. While organizing an alcoholic intervention may seem daunting, help from family members and, in particular, an intervention specialist will ease the overall process and enhance the success of the event.