By the time an intervention has been called, the family is almost always at their wits’ end, if you are the one at helm, please don’t say some these things that will be outlined in this article. Though an intervention usually seems like a last resort, we can easily make the case that it should be called earlier, not after “the last straw.” Over the years, the family of someone suffering from addiction has probably tried everything they can think of. Certainly all the yelling and guilt-tripping that can be so easy to fall into.
Lead with Love
However, an intervention should be a loving meeting. We work together to encourage someone into treatment with love, respect, and support. So we have to break through, and discard, the methods that have tried and failed in the past. Family members may have things they feel they need to say, because they’ve been hurt and they want their loved one to understand that. A lot of what family members want to say should not be said. Those techniques have not worked in the past, though they’ve probably been tried many times. In our interventions, we don’t enter attack mode. We stay calm. We don’t want to trigger an argument, which is unlikely to lead to change.
“Go to treatment or else!“
This strategy has probably been tried in vain many times. “Go to treatment or …. I leave / cut you off / kick you out of the house.” Ultimatums have probably been shouted hundreds of times in the past, and like many ultimatums they’ve likely failed. The person in recovery has probably been kicked out before. They’ve probably been left before. And they’ve probably been cut off before. But, in the end, the family always lets them come home, takes them back, or starts to give them money again. An empty ultimatum will not help someone agree to treatment.
“You did this to me!“
We understand that the individual’s addiction caused a lot of damage to the family. However, during the intervention, attacking the suffering person will only make them get defensive and then lash out. At our meetings before an intervention, we air out those painful memories and bad dynamics, so that we can go into the intervention without creating an aggressive dynamic.
“Why don’t you just stop?“
By the time someone has made it to an intervention, every aspect of their life is informed and shaped by drugs and alcohol. It’s their way of dealing with problems, solutions, successes, failures. All of their friends may also use drugs and alcohol. They can’t imagine a different kind of life. At this point, asking them to “just stop” is tantamount to asking them to give up everyone and everything that they know. It’s going to take them some time to rebuild their life.
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.
