Treatment Trauma
There’s a common stereotype of what an intervention looks like, often propagated by movies and TV. There’s shouting, tears, a waiting van, and then the person struggling is practically snatched into recovery. That’s actually an intervention gone wrong.
By the time family members call for an intervention, they’re usually at the end of what they can endure. They’ve tried every tactic they can think of to shepherd their loved one into recovery. By the end of the road, this can often look like yelling at the loved one that needs help. The idea of forcing someone into rehab can sometimes, to these families, seem like it might be the only thing that will work.
However, an intervention done properly is actually a very loving meeting. A good intervention is about enabling the suffering person to understand their situation. The goal being to get them to acknowledge that they need help and begin to ask for it.
What does an intervention look like?
Forcing someone into treatment doesn’t work. Inpatient treatment centers are not lock-down facilities. People who don’t want to be there can leave, and they sometimes do. For rehab to work, the individual needs to want to stay and want to do the hard but rewarding work of recovery. On the other side of the coin, trying to push someone into treatment can be very traumatic, and have extremely negative consequences. A bad intervention or even a bad treatment program, can turn someone off to ever considering treatment again.
A Good Intervention
About Adam Banks
Adam Banks is a certified interventionist and the owner of Adam Banks Recovery. After receiving an MBA from the University of Chicago, Adam built a company acquired by United Health Care. His discipline and attention to detail comes from his former career as an airline pilot, holding an ATP, the FAA’s highest license.
Today, Adam is dedicated to helping others achieve long-term sobriety. His work has guided executives, pilots, and physicians on paths to recovery. Adam brings families together through a loving and inclusive approach.
Adam has authored four books on addiction. His recent work, Navigating Recovery Ground School: 12 Lessons to Help Families Navigate Recovery, educates families on the entire intervention process. He also offers a free video course for families considering an intervention for a loved one.
Adam is available for alcohol and drug intervention services in New York, Long Island, the Hamptons as well as nationally and internationally.
