When Previous Attempts Have Failed

In a great many cases when we're retained to facilitate an intervention, we usually learn that one or more casual interventions have already been attempted by either friends, family, co-workers, or even the employer of the individual in question.  And while the reasons why these usually fail are many, it's usually because these types of interventions are very "off-the-cuff," not properly structured, and far too personal.  Tempers tend to flare, insults and name-calling fly back and forth and they break down without much of anything positive accruing.  In most cases, it just makes the situation worse.

So one of the key roles of the interventionist is to be there as an objective voice, which often involves being a bit of a stage manager and referee.  If they're good at what they do, they'll be extremely effective at getting everybody to remain calm and stay on topic, speak when they're supposed to and remain silent when they're supposed to.  Interventions are extremely emotional exercises and it's nice if there's at least one person there who won't get caught up in it.  (At least not to the extent of everyone else - we have feelings too!)

Timing Is Everything

We now know that if properly timed, structured and conducted, an “intervention” by family or friends can often spare the individual many years of pain and agony and in some cases, prevent death.  But therein lies the difficulty - what time is the proper time?

In our opinion, it's impossible to say with absolute certainty that there's one "proper" time.  We do know however, that an intervention that much more effective when it follows closely on the heels of an addict experiencing something negative.  In the case of an alcoholic, that might be right after they've been charged with a DUI, or their marriage just caved in.  For a compulsive gambler, anytime following a significant loss might be a good time. 

The point is, while there's no perfect time for an intervention, you don't want to conduct it after something really good just happened to the person in question.  Most people who just won the lottery, just got a promotion, or just met the "person of their dreams," aren't going to be highly motivated to think they have a problem, much less go away to treatment for weeks or months.  So try and pick a time following close after a negative event.  And that won't be hard to do, because negative events tend to happen a lot to people with addiction issues.

What Is An Intervention?

Most interventions conducted today are still loosely based on the original "ARISE" method, which is an acronym for A Relational Intervention Sequence for Engagement.  And here's basically what it's all about.

First and foremost, an intervention is an act of love and caring.  If we didn’t care about the individual, we obviously wouldn’t bother trying to help them in the first place.  So everyone present wants to convey to the addict or alcoholic that they care about them, and that they matter to them.

Secondly, the addict or alcoholic must be made aware of the damage that their addiction has caused - emotional, financial, spiritual, psychological, physical - lay it all out.  And lastly, an intervention is about conveying to the person in question what the consequences are going to be if they don't seek help.  In short, what we're doing is attepting to convince the individual that the problem is sufficiently bad enough to warrant getting an assessment and entering into a treatment program.

This will require getting them to break through their denial, which means to stop making excuses and stop blaming their problems on everyone and everything else.  More than anything, the intervention must help convey to the addict that 99% of everything happening to them of a negative nature can be traced back to their addiction.  If you go back far enough, a spouse leaving, loss of a job, a failing career, depression, mood swings, etc. can usually all be traced back to the addiction.  And ironically, this is one of the most difficult steps in the whole recovery process because an addicted mind is full of distortion and confusion, and the person is literally blind to what is so clearly apparent to everyone else.

Admitting The Problem

So one of the very first and hardest things for an alcoholic, addict, or someone with a destructively compulsive behavior to do is to admit they have a problem.  And this is critical, because admitting you have a problem is literally the first step on the road to recovery.  And even if they do admit to "having a problem," they probably don't have a real handle on how wide and deep the problem is.  An alcoholic who's recently been charged with driving under the influence will perceive his or her "problem" as being that they're going to lose their license.  They're not looking at the "big picture," because if they were, they'd realize that drunk driving is just another indication among many that alcohol is taking control of their life and dictating the direction that it takes.   

"Reframe" The Problem

So at All Positive Options, when we facilitate an intervention, the first thing we try and do is "re-frame" the concept of addiction for the person we're holding the intervention for.  We remind them that some of the most accomplished and famous people in the world - now, and throughout history have struggled with addiction.  We remind them that addiction has nothing to do with how smart you are, or how capable you are, how strong you are, or whether or not you're a good person.

And we also give them a definition of "addiction" that's a little easier to accept.  We tell them that addiction is simply when a substance we're using, or a behavior we're conducting is producing negative consequences for us within our relationships, in our job or with our finances, or in some legal way.  And we also remind them that for every negative consequence addiction has produced for them, they can multiply that by as many people they still have in their life that love and care about them.  It's critical that they become convinced that the decision to seek help is not a sign a weakness or stupidity, it's a sign of strength and that they still have some brain cells working properly.

Choosing Your Interventionist

(They're Not All Created Equal)

It can’t be emphasized enough that the intervention should be done under the guidance of someone experienced in the process, because this is an extremely critical step and you may only have one opportunity to do it.  Take great care in selecting your interventionist, because quite honestly there are some pretty unqualified "experts" out there.  Every detail counts in an intervention and just one inappropriate statement can screw the whole thing up.

For example, we know of one so-called "professional interventionist" who kept telling an alcoholic that once they get help, "they'll never drink again."  That's absolutely the LAST thing you want to tell an alcoholic or addict, and it's comparable to throwing gas on an open fire.  So as much as an intervention is about saying the right things, you also want to make sure that at the very least, the interventionist themselves aren't making patently stupid statements like that.

Focus And Stay Focused On The Purpose

The purpose of the intervention is just to get the person to accept treatment - that's it.  Don't expect them to be able to get their head around never drinking or never using again - that's way too much to handle for the actively addicted mind.  You also want to make sure that if the individual accepts the fact that if they need treatment, treatment is in fact, readily available.

You'll find that a lot of people advertise or promote themselves as "certified addictions counselors."  Well, we all had that teacher in school that had a PhD., MA, and ten other degrees, yet they couldn't teach their way out of a wet paper bag because they couldn't communicate effectively and seemingly, they couldn't relate to their students.

The truth is, becoming a "certified addictions counselor" in many regions of North America and various other countries takes a wallet and a detectable pulse.  In other words, anybody who has the money to pay for it can do it.  We personally know "certified counselors" who not only can't communicate and can't develop rapport, (two essential skills) but in addition, what they know about addiction and recovery could be put on the head of a pin.  Our saying this might tick a few people off in the industry, but we believe it to be true, so sorry - deal with it.

Find A Communicator

As important, and in some cases, even more important than "credentials" are factors like:  Will  the person we're holding this intervention for be able to relate to this interventionist?  Is this interventionist a recovering addict themselves?  Do I like this interventionist?  Do they sound like they can communicate?  Do they have experience, or do they exhibit any knowledge?  Do they sound like they can be persuasive?

Obviously, not just anyone is qualified to do an intervention, but at its heart, an intervention is very much a sales job.  The interventionist, in conjunction with all those present, has to guide the addict or alcoholic to the logical conclusion that they need help.  And a PHd. or any other "certification" on their business card is no guarantee they can do that.  Knowledge is one thing - application of knowledge is another.

Fees

We're of the view that no two interventions are the same - they all involve different organizational details, different logistics, different people and different levels of difficulty.  So at All Positive Options, we have no "set" fee for an intervention.  Before we even accept an assignment, we need a minimum of one interview with the people wanting to do the intervention just to find out what we're dealing with.  So our point here is, if you approach someone to lead your intervention and they have one set price, walk away.  If they charge the same amount for every intervention they do, obviously they don't put a lot of tailoring and personalization into the process and it's all about making it as tailored and as personal as possible.

At the very least, they should give you a range for the pricing, and at the conclusion of their preliminary interview with you, they should be able to tell you where your case falls within that range.

So on the next page, let's look at a "step-by-step" concerning the intervention itself:

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