Intervention
Families are beyond frustrated and upset by the time they consider an addiction intervention specialist. Apprehension towards reaching out is often from not knowing exactly what an intervention looks like. The days before making a call are always hectic, and it’s never an easy call to make.
Adam Banks Recovery is here to help. You do not need to know exactly what you need or where you are in addiction. We will work with you to assess the situation and choose the best option forward.
Intervention follows a process, the steps to intervention are:It’s natural that the first call feels a bit awkward. The person might be worried about privacy and trust. After all, they’ve contacted a stranger to share very personal and painful information.
The background story is integral to planning an intervention, so if you’re the one who places the call, you can expect the following questions.
- How long has this behavior gone on for?
- Can you tell me about the last two weeks?
- Why do you feel that now is the time for an intervention?
- What substances do they use?
- Is there a mental health issue that you know about?
- Does the person have health insurance?
The assessment goes both ways. We encourage the caller to learn about interventions and the interventionist. Considering treatment or an intervention are major decisions that get made under pressure. During our assessment call, I teach callers about the process and what to expect.
Over the next few interactions, a plan for an intervention will start to come together. As I learn more about the person of concern, the right options for a treatment program will become clear.
We will consider the costs of programs along with their location and costs. Inpatient treatment is not always the best course of action. We consider all options and what suits this individual and their family best.
Once a plan is laid out, the rest of the intervention falls into place.
Prior to an intervention, families are worn out, angry, and in pieces. Each member is at a loss, and they may not know what to do anymore.
Rounding up the network and getting everyone on the same page is the most powerful part of an intervention. Long-term healing starts at this critical point where the family comes together, maybe for the first time. We leave toxic behaviors behind and shift into loving forms of support.
Most interventions are not the dramatic episodes you may have seen on television. Surprising an addicted person puts them in a defensive position and almost never goes well.
An intervention can be a very positive experience that occurs in many different ways.
Some interventions look easy. They might consist of a couple of phone calls to the person of concern. Some look more like family therapy, where a group comes together to begin a process of healing.
The most influential people in an intervention are the family members, but it’s also paramount to have a moderator. The moderator controls the flow of the meeting and keeps the experience positive. This prevents the family from falling back into old patterns that do not work.
I have found that people respond very well to Zoom interventions. Pre-pandemic, we wouldn’t have done a virtual intervention, but through experience we’ve found they are less confrontational to the person of concern.
Another benefit is that family members who otherwise would not be able to join due to geographical limits are now able to be present. Even grandparents have little issue operating zoom remotely.
There are many ways to get sober and not everyone needs to “go to rehab.” While going to a treatment center might be right for many people, there are other options including outpatient treatment, private therapy and psychiatry, medication routes, and 12-Step Meetings.
I tell families that an intervention will always spark change. Once the family is on board, the people that are healthy will change how they interact with the person of concern. Family healing commences one way or another.
The person of concern will often say no or want to try options that are alternative to inpatient treatment. No matter where they begin recovery, the most important thing is that they have chosen to start.
Successfully entering a 28 day program is a great way to begin recovery, but it is just that, a beginning. Successful long-term recovery takes much more than 28 days. About three weeks into their inpatient program, plans need to be put in place for what happens next.
Considerations
- An “after care program” that follows successful treatment.
- The living situation that your loved one will be returning to after treatment.
- The impact of people involved and if they are conducive to success.
- Drug testing.
- Sober coaching and 12-step meetings.
This stage is fraught with emotion. Family members remember how the person was before the addiction took hold and the person of concern is now healthier and ready to make their own decisions. A safe reentry plan will take time to craft and the person of concern often takes some time to agree to it.
As the person of concern settles into their aftercare plan, they begin to stabilize. The individual might be remorseful or embarrassed as they begin to see the damage they left behind.
There is also a tension between the newly recovered person and their family. It was only 30 days ago that the family was taking care of an adult child. It’s natural for the family to acclimate slowly.
Continuing therapy after rehab is very important. In the first 30 days after treatment, we want people to be busy doing recovery work, such as AA or IOP (intensive outpatient treatment).
I work closely with families during re-integration. The relapse rate is high the first few weeks out of treatment. By continuing family meetings, the family sees how this time is different and the person of concern can share their success and progress in a supportive atmosphere.
An intervention is not a one-off event; it is a recovery process. I commit to working with families for 90 days to ensure that the person suffering begins treatment successfully and has a plan that will ensure long term recovery.
Addiction Intervention and Recovery
When people imagine a drug or alcohol intervention scenario, they often picture a room full of people dramatically confronting the person battling addiction. At Adam Banks Recovery, we have a different take on what intervention means and how it works.
People from all across New York City and the surrounding communities struggle and need help with addiction. In many of those situations, the need for intervention is the first step in guiding people toward getting help. As an interventionist for drug addiction, Adam Banks Recovery takes an inclusive, loving approach to recovery.
Intervention and Recovery Go Hand in Hand
The addiction recovery coaching at Adam Banks Recovery uses intervention as an opportunity for the family to proactively come together and manage addiction. It is not a singular climatic event.
Intervention at Adam Banks Recovery is a process. The truth is, there may be many places along the road to recovery where help and support will need to intervene. Those interventions are critical in helping people integrate back into an alcohol or substance-free lifestyle.
Imagine doing the same exact thing for 10, 20, or 30 years, then suddenly, you have to come to a complete halt. For most people struggling with addiction, that thing is also a lifestyle, and recovery may require multiple and continuing interventions.
Alcohol and Drug Intervention Services
When people in New York City, New York, need an interventionist for drug addiction, they need to look no further than Adam Banks Recovery. From the first step and helping people recognize the need for help and recovery to assisting people in getting back to life after addiction, Adam Banks Recovery can help.
As a drug and alcohol interventionist, Adam Banks Recovery will help you and your family with intervention planning. More importantly, we can help your loved one recover from the disease of addiction.
At Adam Banks Recovery, hope is real, and recovery happens. Contact us today if you have any questions or if you need intervention services.
Adam Banks
Adam Banks is a certified interventionist. After receiving an MBA from the University of Chicago, Adam built a company that was later 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 as an interventionist has guided executives, pilots, and physicians on paths to recovery. Adam brings families together through a loving and inclusive approach.
Adam recently authored Navigating Recovery Ground School: 12 Lessons to Help Families Navigate Recovery. In this lesson book Adam walks families through the entire intervention process.