Hosting a drug intervention can be intimidating if you don’t know how to plan events accordingly. It takes a lot of moving parts to convince a drug addict to quit their substance abuse and actually face reality for their behavior. In a perfect world, a drug intervention would work out great and the addict would immediately sign up for the nearest treatment program because they are overwhelmed with remorse. Unfortunately, this is not the case because addicts do not think rationally about their substance abuse and chase their own personal desires instead. This can be incredibly frustrating for a family or friend who just wants to see their fellow addict look healthier and happier overall. It’s been too long to not continue watching them suffer and destroy their relationships, careers, and future overall.

In order to host a successful intervention, knowing everything you can about talking to an addict, pointing them to treatments, and speaking with compassion is important. You need to understand why they often fail in the first place so you don’t make the same mistakes yourself. But fear not, we’ll break down why these mistakes happen and the great things you can do to speak with confidence and influence.

• The first culprit of a failed drug intervention is not planning enough in advance before the right time comes. Interventions should always be conducted in a group environment with a team of people that really care about the person struggling with a drug. This means that anyone who is an acquaintance, distant coworker, or random relative should not be invited to take part.  Before the intervention actually occurs, the group should then plan out each piece of the event so they are on the same page. This includes outlining exactly what each person will want to tell the addict, a number of reasons of why the drug is affecting their life, and what consequences their addiction has had on other people’s wellbeing.

• After your feelings of concern are planned out, be sure to read over them before talking to the addict so you sound concise yet empathetic with your communication. From there, find a successful treatment center that is hopefully close to your local residence that will admit the addict as soon as the intervention is completed. In order to ensure a successful intervention is taking place, the addict should have an appointment immediately scheduled so they can begin the treatment process after he or she finally agrees to get some help. Look at different detox centers, counselors, or even call national hotlines to get a variety of opinions on what will help the addict. Be sure to consider what the addict enjoys and hates as far as an environment goes so they aren’t uncomfortable in the beginning. For example, if the addict hates hospitals or isolation, don’t book them a private room in a long term rehab suite with regular drop ins from a therapist. However, if the addict loves talking to people and likes being in social situations, booking them a seat in a nearby drug peer support group may be the answer to provide enough accountability without making them hate their life.
• Get a professional interventionist to lead the preparation for and execute the actual drug intervention so no mistakes are made. The normal person isn’t trained for years on how to schedule and deliver successful drug interventions, so it’s okay if you have many questions and feel like you have no idea what to do. Since some people with drug problems also have other problems that make them unstable or potentially dangerous, having a trained professional in the vicinity can ensure that the drug intervention runs smoothly and no one gets hurt. Take a look at what experts are in your area so you can get in contact with them well beforehand. Often, they will provide a complimentary consultation to talk about your situation so you both can decide if partnering up will be a good fit.
• Don’t focus too much on the drug addict and their problem. No addict will want to feel like a major liability to their peers even if they are remorseful for what damage they have caused. Instead, to ensure that they will take on a new treatment plan and listen to what you actually have to say, and focus on a specific solution that is tailored to their needs. Be wary of giving the person too many options of treatment because they will get lost in choosing. They may also become less motivated if they have to choose the steps for getting healthier themselves, so do them a favor and just sort through the details of booking appointments, flights to treatment centers, or calling local doctors yourself. It may take up more time on your part, but if you are already investing a lot of resources in scheduling a drug intervention you might as well dig a little deeper to make the event as fail proof as possible. This way, you won’t look back on the conversation with regret and wonder if you could have done something completely different.

Get Drug Addiction Support

These days, hosting a successful drug intervention is easy when you have access to hundreds of trained intervention professionals. By taking the time to work with their advice, you can together craft a strong dialogue, treatment recommendation, and statement of concern to the addict so they come out eager to gain help. We all want our loved ones to be happy and healthy, so learning about these options is crucial so that outcome happens. Learn more about why  are a step by step process and take a team of different personalities to deliver a diverse yet efficient effect on the addict!