Debunking Myths About Addiction Interventions

thesoberworld.com/2020/12/02/debunking-myths-about-addiction-interventions

December 2, 2020

We bust the top three reasons why people may avoid this helpful step toward
recovery.

If you hear the word “intervention,” your mind may go to one you’ve seen on a popular
television show or in a movie. “We need to talk,” a character may say as they gently lead
their friend or family member into a room full of peers. “Nothing’s wrong,” the other
person retorts. “I’m fine.” Tissues are handed out, and a banner unfurls, revealing that it
is, in fact, an intervention being staged. After a tear-filled shouting match ensues, the
person agrees to seek help.

Is this how interventions typically happen? Not exactly.

An intervention can be an effective way to help someone with a substance addiction.

Through an intervention, family members and friends come together for the sake of the
individual who is struggling with drug or alcohol misuse, pushing for them to get the
treatment they need to address their condition.

Interventions can also help family and friends of the person with a substance use
disorder. During a meeting, loved ones can explain how they have been damaged by the
individual’s words and actions. Forcing the person to confront the consequences of their
behavior can lead to better outcomes for all involved.

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Despite the benefits, many people hold back from staging a meeting. The potentially
explosive nature of an intervention prevents people from confrontation. Emotions run
high. Secrets are revealed. Feelings of shame, anger, and hopelessness come to the
surface.

People may also avoid holding interventions because they believe in commonly held
myths. Those beliefs can stop them from taking hard but needed steps for their loved ones
to get care.

Myth #1: Wait Until They Hit Rock Bottom

One widely held view is that an intervention is only for those who have hit rock bottom, a
point of pain where there is nowhere to go but up. At this point, some believe, the person
will clearly understand the need for treatment and eagerly seek help. An intervention will
just confirm and encourage the promising path they have now decided to take.

This belief is not only wrong but also dangerous. Experts know that rock bottom looks
different for everyone struggling with drug or alcohol addiction. In fact, even when
someone does hit what seems like the lowest low—maybe following an overdose or a
drunk driving accident—they will probably continue to misuse substances and refuse help.

Family members and friends should not wait for the most desperate situation to step in
and confront their loved one. Don’t wait until it’s too late to help.

Myth #2: An Intervention Is Like a Firing Squad

Many avoid holding interventions because they are convinced it will be an angry
confrontation, and they do not want the person to feel worse than they already do. That is
not surprising, because many people who face interventions say that they were ambushed.
They feel emotionally abused, shamed, and insulted.

But an intervention does not have to resemble a firing squad. In fact, the most effective
interventions are the ones in which the friends and family members speak to their loved
one in calm, clear terms.

Make sure the intervention does not become a negotiation, a trial, or an airing of
grievances. Present issues logically and offer serious solutions. Also, be sure to make a
distinction between the individual as a person and the disease afflicting them.

When an intervention is planned with care and offered with understanding, the individual
is more likely to be open to treatment.

Myth #3: Interventions Are Pointless

Some avoid staging an intervention because they are convinced it will not work. Their
theory is that only people who are fully motivated will benefit from treatment. A different
but common theory is that they have spoken with their loved one dozens of times about
their addiction, but it never results in progress. “They never will accept help, so why try?”
they may say.

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You should try because you care. You should intervene because it is crucial to the health
and safety of the person with the addiction and for your own well-being.

But to have any chance of success with your intervention, plan ahead. For example, do not
schedule a meeting for a time or place that may be stressful or triggering for the
individual. Also, schedule the intervention at a time when you are more likely to have the
person’s full attention. If the person just got out of the hospital, lost a job, or broke up
with a partner, the person may feel like you are piling on and increasing their pain.

How an Interventionist Can Help

Families and friends can reach out to professionals for assistance in planning and holding
an intervention. In fact, there are trained interventionists who can take you through the
process to increase your chance of success.

As an important first step, an interventionist will try get the family to come to a consensus
about the need for a meeting and what the meeting should look like. “If only part of the
family is on board, I will try and intervene with the other part of the family, usually
through conference or individual calls with those other members to try and persuade
them to be on board,” explained interventionist Brad Warner, LCSW-R. “Usually they will
come along, but if they are immovable, then we will come up with a plan that doesn’t
include them.”

Leading up to an intervention, Warner said that he works with individual family members
to “get them to change their thinking and perceptions of the problem.” This work, he
explained, “includes a lot of education about addiction, mental illness, treatment, and
interventions.”

He holds an extensive pre-intervention meeting the night before the intervention with all
the participants. “We discuss all of the information about the person, who often has kept
certain people in the dark,” said Warner. This process helps keep the meeting focused and
provides insight and comfort for family members. “For some,” said Warner, “sitting
through the intervention and witnessing the way the person we are intervening with
reacts—perhaps with a touch of anger, denial, defensiveness, etc.—is extremely
therapeutic in itself.”

Including an interventionist in the process can be beneficial for many reasons. The
introduction of an unbiased, helpful person may help convince the person the
intervention is for that it should be taken seriously and that their loved ones aren’t
overreacting. In addition, having a professional help plan and hold an intervention can
make it more likely to run smoothly and have a positive outcome. By having an
interventionist join, there’s a greater likelihood of debunking the myths above and having
a successful intervention—and having a loved one get the help they need.

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