Goals
Goals get our loved one into treatment. However, there are many secondary goals, critical to recovery, that need to be addressed. During the intervention families need to reflect on the true goals they have for the addicted person. This exercise will help families define what changes need to be made, and what support actions need to happen after treatment.
- Sobriety is a primary goal, but what other issues need to be addressed in order to support recovery. Ask yourself these tough questions.
- Define goals so that the family can draw boundaries and support recovery in the most effective way possible.
- Adjusting to a new life will be difficult. Spend time working on a plan so that all bases are covered when your loved one returns home.
- The family plan should accommodate for at least six months after one month in a treatment center. Adam Banks Recovery will be involved over the long term recovery journey.
- Solve the “other crisis”
What Do you Really Want?
When I’m speaking with a family member before an intervention, I typically hear, “All I want is for them to stop drinking.” I often ask, “Are you sure that’s all you want?” The family member thinks about it for a second, and usually responds with a list of additional goals like, “Well, I want them to get a job, move out of the house, and lose their bad friends.”
The family doesn’t just want the person to stop drinking. They want an entirely new life for the person they’re concerned about. New lives don’t happen overnight, and that’s why Adam Banks Recovery interventions are lasting engagements.
A proper intervention takes time. Sure, a person may enter treatment after just one meeting, but then what? What’s the plan for re-entry? How will they cope with leaving their old life and starting a new one? How do we prevent them from going back to the old ways?
What Needs to be Fixed?
An AP likely fell behind in life, maybe living at home for too long or didn’t finish school, or worked dead end jobs for too long. For recovery to be successful, we need to create a plan that will help them to catch up and make them feel valued again. There will be ups and downs along the way. The family will need to learn how to help someone in the process of changing. The AP will need a lot of support as they take slow steps towards a new way of living.
When considering an intervention, ask yourself:
- Is drug or alcohol use the only problem that needs to be fixed?
- Is the individual living at home? If so, do I want them to move out?
- Is the individual honest about their whereabouts?
- Is the individual stealing?
- Does the individual pose danger to the family?
- Does the individual act as a good parent?
- Is there a risk of legal problems?
- Do you like the people that the individual spends time with?
- How is the individual doing in school or at work?
Understanding your goals will help to define the work that needs to be planned for successful recovery. Getting someone on a new path takes more time than a 28-day residential program will achieve. Thinking about these goals will help you to frame what has to happen after rehab is over. Ultimately, there must be a six-month plan in place for the person to have a successful recovery.
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.