Mini Series 2 - Do I call an intervention, and how?

Busting Addiction and Its Myths

In this podcast, we ask the question... Do I call an intervention, and how do I do that?

There are two main types of interventions, the professional type, and the do-it-yourself type. Both can succeed or both can fail.

1. Starting with the professional intervention. We may have seen the Reality TV version of the professional intervention which is a compressed version of the real thing. There always seems to be a happy ending, which is not the case in our experience.
2. The process between the two types is essentially the same. The critical aspect is: "Do we think our loved one addict/alcoholic is ready to accept help if we force that option on him"? The family must be determined and ready itself to take the risk associated with an unexpected confrontation.
3. The entire process can succeed or fail depending on the state of readiness of family members. We advise that, professionally led intervention or not, each family member read and discuss the landmark book on intervention, Love First by Jeff and Debra Jay.
4. The family must agree to some ground rules: be there to offer love and not blame, offer treatment which has been arranged for in advance, and be prepared to state consequences should the addict refuse help. These may include stopping financial support and asking the addict to find another place to live.

It is said that the fact that the family loves him is the one thing the addict cannot deny, for he tends to deny reality in countless other ways. Hence, Love First.