What You Need to Know about how to Set Up an Intervention for an Alcoholic

An intervention is a confrontation by a group of concerned family and friends.  The intervention should be a loving, gentle, and supportive strategy to encourage the alcoholic to admit to having a problem with alcohol and to agree to seek professional help in order to overcome the problems.  The person who needs an intervention is one who is severely dependent and unable to see the severity of their addiction.  Each intervention needs to be carefully organized, choreographed, and even rehearsed.  The key to a successful intervention is preparation.

The participants in the intervention should be a loving and caring significant person in the alcoholic's life and should not be an alcohol abuser themselves.  Each participant should have a positive regard for the alcoholic but a negative regard for the alcohol and should validate that the alcoholism is a disease and it is not the addicted person's fault.  There should be three to eight people chosen to participate. 

The first step toward planning the intervention is to have each participant in the meeting to write a letter to the alcoholic.  This letter should include how much they love and care for the alcoholic but should state exactly how they feel about the alcohol abuse and how the alcohol abuse has negatively affected their life.  It is important for the letter to explain that the person is not the problem but it is the alcohol that is the issue.  Each person should specifically ask the alcoholic to seek treatment that day.  Also prior to the actual intervention, the treatment place should be chosen and all arrangements including travel to the treatment site should be made.

The intervention should be held at a neutral place and not in the alcoholic's home or office.  The setting needs to be a private environment where the person does not feel like strangers or other people can watch or hear what is going on.  The intervention should also be held when the alcoholic is sober. 

When the alcoholic arrives at the pre-determined intervention site, the first step is for each person to read his or her letter.  The last letter to be read should be by the person who has the closest and most significant relationship with the alcoholic.  It should be someone whose letter will break his or her heart.  It is very difficult for denial to hold up in this atmosphere of love and honesty. 

The following is a checklist to help with the planning of an intervention:

* Set up a planning meeting to put together the intervention and to choose a team leader who will be the main spokesperson during the intervention.  During this meeting is important to discuss the need to keep the alcoholic from finding out the intervention is being planned.  This is also a good time for the participants to discuss ways in the past they have tried to help but in actuality ended up enabling the alcoholic.  During this initial process is when the treatment plans are set up as well as a plan for payment and any other financial issues that may come up. 

* Going into the intervention all of the travel and treatment plans should be made and paperwork filled out.  The participants should bring along a packed bag for the alcoholic. 

* During the intervention, once the letters are all read, give the alcoholic a chance to respond and to agree or disagree to going into treatment.

* If the person does not agree to seek treatment, the intervention is still considered a success because the truth has been said and many times, it leads to treatment later.

* If the person does agree to seek treatment, a person should accompany the alcoholic to the treatment facility and help with the initial check in process.

Alcoholism in the News

01/19/2012
The road to recovery from alcoholism
When we hear the word, "alcoholism," we think "fearful," "unstable," someone who wastes money. We might hear that the person was a great father, or coach, or mother or sister. But then alcoholism took over their lives.

The road to recovery from alcoholism

02/07/2012
Downtoearthvideo.com Sets Up An Alcoholism Treatment Options Page
Downtoearthvideo.com sets up an alcoholism treatment options page. The news has been welcomed by people on related sites.Houston, TX (PRWEB) February 07, 2012 Downtoearthvideo.com has just set up an alcoholism treatment options page for their readers. People who want to find out more about what is available should check it out on the site. John Lavelle, one of the Directors at the site said that ...

Downtoearthvideo.com Sets Up An Alcoholism Treatment Options Page

02/08/2012
Downtoearthvideo.com Appoints An Expert To Explain The Causes Of Alcoholism
Downtoearthvideo.com appoints an expert to explain the causes of alcoholism. The news has been welcomed by people on the site.Houston, TX. (PRWEB) February 08, 2012 Downtoearthvideo.com has just appointed an expert to explain the causes of alcoholism to their readers. This new expert will be posting his first reports on the site in the coming weeks.Linda Welsher, one the Directors on the site ...

Downtoearthvideo.com Appoints An Expert To Explain The Causes Of Alcoholism

02/07/2012
Alcohol, the homebreaker
"Alcoholism is one of the major reasons leading to families breaking up and it is high time we tackled the menace," Wajri said, expressing anguish over the growing number of rape and domestic violence cases.

Alcohol, the homebreaker

02/07/2012
Downtoearthvideo.com Sets Up An Alcoholism Treatment Options Page
Downtoearthvideo.com sets up an alcoholism treatment options page. The news has been welcomed by people on related sites.Houston, TX (PRWEB) February 07, 2012 Downtoearthvideo.com has just set up an alcoholism treatment options page for their readers. People who want to find out more about what is available should check it out on the site. John Lavelle, one of the Directors at the site said that ...

Downtoearthvideo.com Sets Up An Alcoholism Treatment Options Page

02/03/2012
Hamilton admits alcoholism relapse
ARLINGTON, Texas, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Texas Rangers outfielder and former American League MVP Josh Hamilton admitted Friday he had suffered a relapse in his battle with alcohol abuse.

Hamilton admits alcoholism relapse

01/30/2012
Facing up to alcoholism in foreign land can help or hinder recovery
A reader has a query about alcoholism in Japan: "How is it generally perceived and what kind of help is available for foreign alcoholics who speak little to no Japanese?" It will come as no surprise to any Japan resident to hear that alcoholism is a problem in this country, just as it is in other parts of the world. Needless to say, this disease affects not only Japanese but non-Japanese living ...

Facing up to alcoholism in foreign land can help or hinder recovery

02/03/2012
Hamilton admits alcoholism relapse
ARLINGTON, Texas, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Texas Rangers outfielder and former American League MVP Josh Hamilton admitted Friday he had suffered a relapse in his battle with alcohol abuse.

Hamilton admits alcoholism relapse