Hope

Restoring hope to your situation is an important reason to hire an interventionist. We go into an intervention on the side of the addicted person, or “AP.” We hold confidence that they have the willpower and capability to recover. It is understandable that at this point, family members feel they have lost any sense of hope. The fact that the family has folded won’t change the AP’s behavior.  

During an intervention, we don’t drag along the baggage of the past. We assess where we are at today, and create a plan going forward from today. To start a new page with your loved one, we need to let them off the hook from the past and focus on what can be changed today. There will be plenty of time for the family to repair damage once we get your loved one into treatment. 

We have seen worst case scenarios that have totally changed course. If we show the addicted person our faith in them, we can give them the confidence they need.

Make a Plan

Planning is the most important part of an intervention. If we take the time to consider the needs of the addicted person while creating a long term recovery plan, calm will be restored and further crisis will be averted. The entire family dynamic will shift in a positive direction.

An intervention is like hiring a consultant for a critical project, and all important projects take time. We step in with experience and expertise to implement tactics that solve addiction. There are oversight meetings, schedules and budgeting. The consultant creates harmony among the team and leads the project through its timeline. 

It has taken a great deal for the AP to reach their current state, and it will take work for them to leave it. On our first call with families, they often remark, “can you just handcuff them and drop them off at rehab.” Such a forceful action seems reasonable to a family at wits end. However, the only true resolution is a long-term recovery plan executed over time. Love gets people into recovery, not force.

Dropping someone off at rehab is the first step on a long journey. Consider that for the AP this will be a lifetime journey of sobriety. Success depends on the long term support of their family. This may seem daunting, but our 12 lessons bring understanding and relief to all cases. 

Families are powerful and resilient, when a plan is in place, the family moves as a group, circling the AP with the option of recovery. Hope thrives when we have the chance to teach families how to carry out a recovery plan.

 

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.

The Opposite of Addiction is Connection

The opposite of addiction is connection. Regardless of outward behaviors, an addict’s deepest craving is to be part of their families. The exhaustion and negative feelings created by substance causes them to appear apathetic towards the damage addiction leaves behind. The only way to combat the negative consequences of addiction is to meet it with love and positive support. When a family shows up for an AP, they are often inspired to get on the path to recovery.

  • Alcoholics and addicts crave the approval of their families. 
  • Apathetic or angry behavior is the result of carrying an addiction. 
  • The only way to overcome an individual’s negative mindset is for a family to meet it head on with love and positive support. 
  • When family’s show up, the addicted person knows they have the strength to recover. 

Bring Back the Family

Alcoholics and addicts crave the approval of their families. Outwardly, they act as if they don’t need anyone. This is a deception. They are attempting to hide shame and protect their addiction. If we consider guilt and the weight of their burden, we cannot expect them to react positively to judgment. Interventions are possible when everyone stays in the present and focuses on the solution. We cannot hold the past over an addicted person’s head. This is a new beginning.

An intervention is an invitation for the AP to rejoin the family. By giving alcoholics love, appreciation, and respect, we can show how deeply we believe in their recovery. When friends and family show up, both physically and emotionally, it is hard for an addicted person to let everyone down. 

Most interventions end with the addicted person feeling relief when they witness the family’s support. An outpouring of love will turn a new page. This is often the first time people realize that the opposite of addiction is connection. Sincerity will ignite a profound emotional shift, signaling an opportunity to find a solution. Interventions save lives. Survival depends on a family working together.

 

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.

Develop a Plan

Develop a Plan

Recovery demands that you develop a plan. There are some major benchmarks to celebrate and specific discomforts to expect. The first 90 days of recovery is critical to long term success. We have created a timeline for the initial stages of recovery. It will provide a better understanding of the overall experience and what to expect during this exceptional change in your loved one’s life. 

  • The first two weeks of recovery demand a great deal of love and support from the family. This will be an emotional rollercoaster for our loved one. 
  • Towards the completion of the first month, the family will start to recognize their loved one as they were before the addiction. It’s important to not remain steady in support, the second month is often the most difficult
  • The second month involves the AP leaving treatment and returning with newfound sobriety. The transition will cause our loved one a great deal of anxiety, and family empathy is critical at this point
  • Month 3 is a milestone for our loved one. They are wrapping up outpatient treatment and settling into a new life. Meetings and other forms of support must be in place to maintain long term sobriety. 

Weeks 1-2

During the first few weeks, their mind and body may consistently yearn for their substance of choice. Stability feels distant and unattainable. In this initial stage, the subconscious encourages the AP to give into strong cravings. Emotions feel raw and unpredictable because for the first time, we need develop a plan and stick to it to overcome this anxiety. 

When we assess a person for inpatient treatment, we evaluate the AP for the likelihood of them maintaining their sobriety for the first two weeks. Most people can force themselves sober for three or four days, but will they be able to remain sober after a week, when emotions begin to run wild? 

Emotions during the first week tend to swing between extremes. During the first few weeks, APs tend to be angry at their family for “punishing them” and sending them to treatment. They are angry at the treatment center and angry at the people helping them. They have very little insight into why they are actually at the treatment center.

 Everyone has heard stories of someone detoxing for a few days, and immediately returning to use. If we don’t develop a plan and get the AP through this emotional phase, they will not be successful. 

Weeks 3-4 (Month 1)

In the third week of recovery, family and friends begin to recognize their loved one as the person they were before the addiction took hold. “He sounds like his old self,” family members claim. The AP has started to stabilize though the emotional detox. Families will witness a significant shift in the AP, they will understand why they need rehab, and they will begin to see the damage that they have done and show remorse for their behaviors.

As hope begins to stir within them, they may become friendlier and more engaged with their treatment team, making new friends that are also working on continued recovery. Changes made in this first month are significant. For everyone involved, the future looks brighter every day. The AP might start showing overconfidence in their recovery. They will say, “I am glad I came here, I learned my lessons and I know that I will never drink again.” They will convince their family that they are fixed. What they don’t know is that the second month is still difficult.

Month 2

The AP has likely been discharged from the treatment center, returned home, and is in the process of transitioning back into everyday life. During this period, we want to keep an individual busy with recovery work, treatment and programming.

After treatment, the AP is exposed to all the stimuli that supported their use just a few weeks ago. To be sympathetic to an AP during this period, I tell family members to envision anxiety. This anxiety is closely tied to cravings for a substance. 

 In the first few months, there are a lot of firsts: first time going to a restaurant and not drinking, first time hanging out with friends and not drinking, first time they feel happiness and sadness without drinking.

We have to be in a position to carry the AP through this tough month. On the outside they will display overconfidence. The AP may feel they have figured out. If we can get the AP into the 3rd month sober, their emotions will calm down, and they will settle into recovery.

Month 3

In AA, one of the most significant milestones that is celebrated is when someone reaches 90 days. It’s celebrated as a veritable coming of age. The difficulty of early sobriety is over, and there is a shift to maintaining lasting sobriety.

For most people in recovery, the third month is rewarding. They begin to return to themselves. The intensity of the emotions and cravings of the first two months has tapered off, and less recovery work is required to keep them on track.

At this stage, most APs graduate from outpatient treatment and begin settling into programs. It is necessary to maintain a level of commitment throughout the journey to ensure that a decrease in recovery work doesn’t dwindle into no recovery work. Month 3 is about finding a healthy balance between recovery and “real 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.

Next Steps

Next Steps

In the process of recovery, we must consider the next steps. Small actions beget big changes.  I encourage you to reach out to us and tell us about your situation.  The education of the course, paired with professional guidance will help you to overcome addiction.  

Summary:

When considering treatment, some feel like sobriety is a life sentence. They can’t imagine never drinking again and it feels like a giant invisible hand is forcing them to get sober. Getting sober is a choice you make for self-improvement. Just like any program of self-improvement, it requires a daily commitment to change.

  • Although many of the expressions in the Twelve Step programs seem a bit cliche to a person new in recovery, they ring true as sobriety is maintained. 
  • An addicted person can choose to drink at any time. However, they have chosen to do the work instead. The positive effects compound each day. 
  • Choosing to become sober is choosing to live a completely new lifestyle. 

One Day at a Time

“Take it one day at a time” is a common piece of advice in Twelve Step programs. When I was in early sobriety, that expression, and many others in the program annoyed me. I knew that it wasn’t one day at a time; my time was up. I had to be sober for the rest of my life. My sponsor reminded me often that I could choose to drink any day. That, too, felt like a trick, because deep down I knew that I could never drink again, even though I wanted to.

Today, 12 years sober, I understand that I could drink today, but I don’t want to. Every day I make the choice to remain sober, just as I have every day for the last twelve years.

Next Steps & New Lifestyles

I liken the decision to choose sobriety to the decision to become a vegan. People choose to become vegans for health or ethical reasons. Often, they consider making this choice for some time, they waiver about it, they research how to do it. At some point, they make their decision and do the work of avoiding meat. They tell their friends, they frequent establishments that support their lifestyle, and they make new friends that share the same lifestyle. 

As they build their new, vegan-centered lives, the lifestyle becomes enjoyable; they’re proud of their accomplishments, and often report that they feel better, have more energy, and can’t imagine going back to eating meat.

A vegan makes the choice to remain a vegan every day. Certainly there may be temptations to “fall off the wagon.” Many restaurants don’t have adequate vegan options and a sizzling steak may suddenly look appealing. It’s more difficult to fully commit to the lifestyle than to choose the easier path.

Nevertheless, the person remains true to their convictions. Quitting drinking is not so different – it’s a lifestyle choice, made for health reasons. When someone chooses to quit using drugs or alcohol, they build a lifestyle around sobriety, finding friends that share the same values and eschewing a former culture. 

With time, they feel proud of their choices and even feel better. They don’t wake up sick anymore, they argue less, and their lives improve in ways they couldn’t have imagined. With each day, the commitment to remain sober becomes easier and easier. 

At some point, drinking again becomes unthinkable. Yes, it is one day at a time, but it’s also the lifestyle that I’ve chosen.

 

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.

How to Use The Intervention Course

How to Use The Intervention Course

Considering doing an intervention on a loved one is fraught with emotion.  The desire or need to do an intervention always comes after (or during) a crisis.  If you are considering an intervention, think no further – your loved one needs help – and it has become your calling to step in and offer a lifeline.  The truth is that your loved one is probably desperate for help.

For you to be helpful, you have to learn a lot and learn it fast.  We have created resources to help educate you and lay out a path for you.  This course is broken down into 19 short videos and text to accompany each lesson.  By going through these videos, you will be preparing yourself to plan for a treatment center placement, addressing your loved one with compassion, and supporting long term change.

This video course is accompanied by the book, ‘Navigating Recovery Ground School: 12 Lessons to Help Families Navigate Recovery‘ available on Amazon.

Addiction causes chaos, to navigate out of the chaos there needs to be a plan.   Families that take time to educate themselves on addiction, and follow a path, always have success at changing the current situation for the better.

Course Index

Follow these links to all course modules:

Introduction to Addiction Intervention

  1. Hope
  2. Opposite of Addiction is Connection
  3. Recovery is a Journey
  4. The Other Crisis
  5. Learned Helplessness and Siloing
  6. Goals
  7. What an Intervention Looks Like
  8. Intervention is Fair
  9. When is an Intervention Necessary?
  10. Stages of Change
  11. Addiction Myths
  12. Develop a Plan
  13. Fear of Success, Fear of Failure
  14. Coaching Intervention
  15. Facility Placement
  16. Lessons from the Pilot Program
  17. Cellphone Analogy
  18. Next Steps

 

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.

Lessons from the Pilot Program

Lessons from the Pilot Program

We believe that a stay at rehab is only the beginning of treatment. Therefore, there needs to be a solid plan in place for families. This will help them hold an individual accountable over a duration of time. Our goal is to not only help the person suffering from addiction, but help the family heal as well. The success of programs for pilots like the Human Motivation Study (HIMS) and Physician Health Program (PHP) outline ideal forms of treatment. 

  • The success of HIMS and PHP prove that long term planning and structure are key components of achieving sobriety. 
  • Clear boundaries allow for positive and negative consequences. 
  • Role models and recovery mentors are very effective towards accountability. 
  • Recovery is anchored in the family. Addiction takes its toll on the entire family, and it is imperative that everyone works together as one unit after treatment. 

Success Elements of HIMS and PHP

There are two very successful programs with proven results for long-term recovery. They are; the Human Intervention Motivation Study (HIMS) for pilots and Physician Health Program (PHP) for physicians. Both programs boast an above an 80% success rate at long-term recovery. Other general programs without a similar foundation have a success rate of less than 20%.

These programs share a few things in common, including long-term care (up to 5 years) and structured planning. To increase the success of rehab, our family recovery program borrows elements from these treatment plans. 

Lesson from the pilot program like PHP and HIMS start with the fact that they WILL be successful. Families can benefit from adopting this positive mindset. 

The successful programs for pilots and doctors are based on Eight Essential Elements.

Positive Rewards and Negative Consequences

The family sets a clear definition of what a successful recovery looks like. Consequently, a reward system is established when expectations are met. If there is a return to using, there are consequences that help facilitate recovery.

Frequent Drug Testing

In the case of HIMS and PHP, pilots and doctors are required to undergo routine drug testing for 5 years. A drug test or breathalyzer can be a great deterrent for returning to use. And in the event of a relapse, it allows the family to respond quickly.

12-Step Programs and Abstinence Standards

APs and family members will to seek the help of 12-step programs and participate both together and separately. The expectation is that abstinence is the only measurable standard of success.

Viable Role Models and Recovery Mentors

In early recovery, it is important for AP’s to have the support of peer groups. This is necessary to put in greater perspective what a successful recovery could look like. Recovery coaches and/or sponsors help to teach the person of concern what they know about recovery.

Modified Lifestyles

As recovery enhancing decisions are supported and encouraged, living situations, careers, and relationships may have to change. The family will support positive transitions. Lessons from the pilot program teach us that we must consider sobriety a part of our new lifestyle. 

Active and Sustained Monitoring 

Third party monitoring of drug tests and compliance with a program allows families to step out of the “policing” role. The AP should develop a trusting relationship with a team that can advocate for them.  Lessons from the pilot program create accountability for the person of concern. 

Active Managing of Relapse 

Early detection of relapse is a critical lesson from the pilot program. Returns to use are viewed as opportunities for individuals and their families to re-evaluate the plan. Consequently, they learn new information, and recommit to following a program.

Continuing Care Approach 

Similar to diabetes or any other chronic illness, addiction is a disease that requires ongoing management. A solid treatment plan considers the trajectory of the next 5 years. It also ensures that care extends beyond rehabilitation, towards sustained recovery. Integrating these eight elements in a recovery program produces sustainable, long-term recovery. Individuals don’t have access to the structured programs of pilots and doctors, but families can step in and offer similar support and structure.

Family Success

Addiction can take its toll on everyone in a family. It’s common to see in-fighting, emotional withdrawal, grief, and secret keeping. Families have reached the point of accepting chaos within their lives. However, the reality is that they are functioning to the best of their ability while dealing with long-term addiction. The family may not be dysfunctional, but they are in crisis. 

The success of our program is dependent on families agreeing to support their loved one on a defined new path. It’s a commitment to stand by them emotionally and physically for three months to even a year. 

The plan is put in place to allow the AP to join the family in a healthy way. It is provided while they undergo treatment and for several intense months after. Hopefully at that time, the family and the AP have shifted into maintaining long-term recovery. Committing to the Dynamic Family Recovery Program has some benefits. Lessons from the pilot program can be applied to help families learn how to support the needs of their loved one, combat the addiction, and re-stabilize their relationships. 

 

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.

What an Intervention Looks Like

What an Intervention Looks Like

What an intervention looks like is not what you typically see on TV. To have a successful intervention we must consider what drives addiction and what roadblocks will attempt to hinder the path to recovery. Many of the concerns our loved one has can be anticipated and handled prior to entering treatment. When everyone involved participates in thorough planning it is easier for the addicted person to say yes to treatment. 

  • Intervention is not as seen on television. It is a loving experience void of drama. 
  • Addiction is driven by experiences, triggers, stages of change and the fear that accompanies making a transition. 
  • Roadblocks are common and will occur. Being proactive instead of reactive makes the process safe and secure. This increases the likelihood of getting a yes from the person of concern. 
  • Families need to have a plan for both a yes or no response during the intervention. The entire network should be educated and prepared to take action. 

What an intervention looks like is a formalized process that will bring the family and friends together. The process will not look like what you see on TV. It is a loving and supportive experience that invites the person of concern to participate.

Roadblocks to Treatment

All members of the intervention network need to learn about addiction. Prior to this point, the family may be exhausted by empty ultimatums, withdrawn or in some cases separated. Our first step will be to educate ourselves on what drives addiction.

  • People, places and things
  • Cravings and triggers
  • Stages of Change
  • Fear of failure and fear of success / losing everything that they know

To help someone enter into recovery, we need to clear the path for them. In all interventions we encounter similar roadblocks. We hear things like, “I can’t leave my job” or “I have to take care of the kids.”  We will anticipate these roadblocks and make preparations so that our loved one can say yes to recovery. 

Anticipate Roadblocks

  • Who in the family is supportive and who isn’t?
  • Does the quality of the facility match the expectations of POC?
  • Time off of work and who will take care of the children and/or pets?
  • Common concerns about treatment centers: smoking, vaping, cell phone, computer, roommate, etc.

What an intervention looks like is a planned event. We need to plan how to work with the individual of concern, and we need to develop a plan for a long-term recovery. If someone refuses treatment that is just the beginning; we don’t stop there, we regroup and we change our approach.

Cover Yourself

  • What happens next when the intervention is successful?
  • What happens if the individual changes their mind after saying yes?
  • Contingency plans for a “no.”
  • Transportation plans to the facility.
  • Review what to expect in the days following.

 

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.

When is an Intervention Necessary?

When is an Intervention Necessary?

Recovery doesn’t require losing it all to begin healing. There is no need to hit the bottom before seeking treatment. Because addiction is hidden, we may not recognize when others truly need help. Entering treatment is a personal choice, and the best we can do to others is to help them realize the recurring consequences of addiction. 

  • The need to “hit rock bottom” is a recovery myth. 
  • Recovery is a personal choice, and we may not be aware of the emotional turmoil inside others who battle with addiction. 
  • Addiction is a slow moving train, accelerating slowly towards derailment. 
  • The goal is to help our loved one choose treatment by recognizing the consequences of substance use. 

One of the biggest blocks to seeking recovery is the myth that someone has to “hit rock bottom” before they can recover. The decision to recover can come at any time they’re ready for a new life. We can begin to recover as soon as the person is ready to be done with the sickness, the hangovers, and the consequences. Many young people have chosen recovery after just a few years of using.

I compare addiction to a freight train gaining speed. We are free to jump off at any point. Some people get off early, while the train is increasing in acceleration. Others wait until the train wheels get shaky, and some wait for derailment. 

But do they have to?

A lot of people look like they’re really happy when they’re using, and often their friends are surprised when they consider recovery. They may have an abundant life, houses, and a good job. However, on the inside, substance use is taking a huge emotional toll. When I chose to get sober, my life looked very abundant. In fact, I decided to get sober in a vacation house in the Hamptons. Inside, I was emotionless and very unhappy—but I never told anyone about my feelings.

People can choose recovery at any time, and we want to catch them before too many consequences have occurred. They don’t need to wait until they “lose everything” to recover. Many people don’t wait that long. I liken recovery to a self-help program that we choose for ourselves. We’ve all chosen workouts, medications, and diets for self-improvement. We consciously choose to adhere to those programs. Most people choose to diet, for instance, when they notice a few extra pounds—long before they become obese.

You can choose recovery any time you want. Most people that question their substance use have already reached an emotional bottom, whether they’re expressing it to others or not. What others see on the outside may not reflect what you’re feeling on the inside.

Let’s bust the myth that someone has to hit “rock bottom.” Let’s help people choose recovery before they hit that point. By intervening early, we can tap into someone’s emotional bottom. They might already be there.

Our goal with an intervention is to help someone see the consequences of their substance use, to shine a light on something that they are missing. We want to help them choose recovery at a point.

 

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.

Stages of Change

Stages of Change

The Stages of Change refer to the thoughts and actions required to choose recovery and enter treatment. To make this big transition, an addicted person is first pre-contemplative, and then contemplative. Once they have thought about recovery, they move onto preparation and action. Finally a maintenance routine is set in place to support long term recovery. 

  • Before considering change, an addicted person experiences the “four R’s” of Pre-contemplation. 
  • When contemplating the AP is still on the fence until they commit the next step. 
  • Preparation begins when they seek the help of a healthcare professional. 
  • Real changes start occurring once action has been taken with the help of a professional. 
  • After treatment, maintenance including coaching and 12 steps programs are necessary components of success. 

When we contemplate making a change there is a decision making process that we go through. The best example of this is when we have gotten a bit out of shape and are considering going on a diet or the gym. For a while we think it’s okay to not work out (pre-contemplative), then we consider joining a gym (contemplative). We then go to the gym (action) and finally we become dedicated to our new routines (maintenance). 

Reviewing Stages of Change:

1. Pre-contemplation

In the first stages of addiction recovery, a person usually does not consider their behavior to be an issue. At this point, they aren’t interested in hearing advice to quit or being told about potentially harmful side effects. We have all experienced this person. We know if we mention that they have a problem, they will ‘blow up’. This knee-jerk response is an indication that they are pre-contemplative.

Pre-contemplation takes several forms:

  • Reluctance: Lack awareness of their problem, as well as the motivation to change.
  • Rebellious: Do not want to let go of their addictive behavior because they do not like being told what to do.
  • Resigned: Overwhelmed by their addictive behavior that they’ve given up hope for the possibility of change.
  • Rationalizing: Think they have all the answers and have reasons why substance use isn’t an issue for them.

2. Contemplation

Contemplators have realized that they have a problem. They may want to change, but do not feel like they can fully commit to it. In this stage, a person is often more receptive to learning about the potential consequences of their behavior and the different options available.

However, they are still only contemplating. They haven’t yet made a change by committing to a specific strategy. The contemplation stage can last for years, oscillating between pre-contemplation and preparation.

3. Preparation

A person is committed and ready to take some actions. They actively research their problem, and research options for a cure. They might meet with a healthcare professional to assess where they are and determine options for a long-term treatment plan or attend some meetings.

4. Action

Real change starts at this stage. 

A plan of action has been put into place, and the person in recovery knows that they must do the work that is required. They are no longer just considering change. They want to make change as fast as possible.

5. Maintenance

It takes time and effort to sustain any change. In the maintenance stage, a person begins to adapt to their new substance-free lifestyle. As they build momentum, reverting to old habits gradually becomes less of a threat.

Sometimes the best intervention is one in which we work one-on-one with the person of concern. A traditional placement in rehab is not always right for everyone. There are many options for recovery, and exploring these with the person of concern allows them to be in charge of their recovery.

Recovery coaching is helpful as:

  • An alternative to inpatient residential treatment
  • A way to get back on track after relapse
  • A structured after care plan after residential treatment
  • An additional way to strengthen mutual-aid self-help groups

Recovery coaching focuses on these principles:

  • Future-Focused: Navigate the present, and set goals for the future
  • Professional Guidance: Follow proven plans with our 30- and 90-day programs
  • Accountability: Reinforce accountability through meetings, phone calls, and homework
  • Build on 12 Steps: Strengthen other programs with which you may be involved
  • Real-Life: Learn how to stay sober in the actual environments where you live and work

Most people respond very well to coaching interventions and many people can avoid in-patient treatment with daily accountability and connecting to the proper resources. You have the power to live a better life, let us guide you there. By understanding the stages of change, we will develop a plan that greatly increases your chances of succeeding.

 

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.

Introduction to Addiction Intervention

Introduction to Addiction Intervention

An intervention is often a misunderstood process, and the only thing for certain is that everyone involved has experienced frustration, resistance, and failed attempts towards recovery. Adam Banks gives an introduction to addiction intervention and brings everyone together to form an actionable plan. In this process, we find that addicted people are longing to be part of a family that unintentionally pushes them away. Banks’s step by step method leads loved ones into treatment by peacefully repairing the structure of family dynamics.  

Recovery doesn’t require losing it all to begin healing. There is no need to hit the bottom before seeking treatment. Because addiction is hidden, we may not recognize when others truly need help. Entering treatment is a personal choice, and the best we can do to others is to help them realize the recurring consequences of addiction.

  • By the time the need for intervention arises, the AP has resisted treatment or made various one off attempts. 
  • Adam believes family is the difference. Interventions are a group effort that is guided by a dynamic, well prepared plan. This plan creates a lasting power that cultivates recovery. 
  • Interventions are not the dramatic episodes seen on television, and they often require more than one attempt. They do not dwell on the past, but rather build towards the future.

Taking the First Step

Families nearing the point of intervention commonly express, “We have tried everything, and nothing works, they are going to be the hardest person you have ever dealt with.” Those in need of treatment can often be difficult. However, underneath this difficulty is an internal struggle to break an addiction. Your loved one knows something is wrong, and they know that their substance dependency is taking its toll. Watching this introduction to addiction intervention is a first step. 

It is very likely that your family member does want to enter recovery – they just don’t see a path free of the substance that has a grip on them. Your loved one has probably made a few attempts at recovery in the past and claims, “It doesn’t work for me.”

Successful recovery follows a months-long plan, one-off attempts will not work. Prior to a structured intervention, attempts to recover have usually been “popcorn” attempts. An AA meeting here, a therapist there, and a lot of broken promises. A family that has “tried everything” has yelled, screamed, and attempted to enforce various ultimatums and the addiction has won every time.

Intervention Success Follows a Plan

Intervention creates and presents an actionable plan for the addicted person, which we refer to as “the AP.” When presented with a well-thought-out plan, the AP can recognize it as an obvious choice to follow. In a positive intervention, family is the difference. The family makes the plan, and during the course of treatment, they are taught how to support long term recovery. This program brings the family together to understand addiction. From this foundation, a plan comes together. 

The AP wants to be a part of the family. In fact, we often find that an AP is the one of the most involved family members. They call more frequently, and they stop by more, and they are typically the focal points of conversations. Sure, these interactions might be painful, but they are instances of the AP looking for connection and longing for belonging. However, addiction comes with pain for the family.

 In this misguided pursuit of forcing an AP to get sober, the family punishes them with ultimatums, pushing them further from stability, and making them more lonely. This cycle perpetuates addiction, the AP feels like the “black sheep.” They want to be a part of the family, but the hill to climb to get back in the good graces of the family becomes overwhelming. They don’t believe they could ever live up to the expectations of the family, so they use more, and cause more damage. 

If we can change the dynamic by surrounding the AP with love, showing them a path back to the family, and helping guide them into sobriety, we can give them exactly what they yearn for, family connection.

Intervention Reality

There are a lot of myths around intervention. The dramatized productions of television shows can make an already suffering family hesitant toward an intervention. There is little reality in these types of shows. A proper intervention should be a positive experience, the interventionist serving as a project manager, and the family making and presenting a plan. 

Once families learn about addiction in the introduction to addiction intervention, they become very influential. The interventionist is in the back-ground, moving the project forward and steadying the interactions between family and the AP. The calm progression is a slow ascent towards a positive solution. 

Start Recovery Today

An intervention is not a one-off event where a family shames an addicted person into seeking treatment. These scenarios can only blow up, and that form of intervention has been tried 100 times before in the past. In a positive intervention, very little time is spent on the past. We can bring a great sense of relief to the AP if we assure them that we aren’t bringing up the past, we are focused on the here and now and the future.

In emergency cases, a dramatic intervention might be the only option to help someone. Rather than an ambush operation, imagine your family as a peaceful unit that can offer help and follow a program that allows for long-term 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.

Intervention Timeline

intervention timeline

Intervention Timeline

It is important to understand that an intervention is a process to elicit change and not a one-off dramatic event.

Families are at or near wits end when they come to hire an interventionist, they often visualize a made for TV intervention, sitting around in a circle, and reading letters to their loved one. Few interventions look like this.

An intervention is best looked at like a project that you would complete at work. Consideration is given to the costs, the benefits, a team is built, meetings are scheduled, and tasks are completed. Intervention is taking the addiction out of the management role and installing family and friends in place to manage the addition. Addition is always chaotic; the process of intervention formalizes a recovery plan and puts an interventionist in the position of a project manager.

The entire process of intervention will take about 90 days. The first week is very busy as the family does pre-intervention planning. When a loved one checks into treatment, the family network continues to meet to offer loving support to the person in treatment, we show the addicted person that the family is also doing work to recover and support success. As treatment progresses, plans are made for after-care that support long-term recovery.

The First Step

The first step in the process of intervention is to educate loved ones and friends around the addicted person (AP). Family and friends need to understand addiction and the treatment options at a higher level to offer support and advice that will work. Intervention begins to change the interactions between the family and the AP. This work can begin immediately – Adam Banks Recovery provides a video course, Pre-intervention Handbook and book, Navigating Recovery.

The next step is to consider “the business deal”.  Adam Banks Recovery will help the family identify treatment options and facilities. We factor the total costs of treatment and insurance coverage. There are many options for rehab, from low-costs to very high-cost centers. Identifying and learning about treatment centers gets the entire network behind a specific plan. This is one of the most important aspects of an intervention.

As the family is learning and planning for a placement in treatment, we will be discussing how to “get in front of” your loved one. There are 4 escalating levels to an intervention:

Level 1 – Prep Work

Adam Banks Recovery will learn about the history of the identified loved one and begin to identify treatment options. This process begins with the first call into Adam Banks Recovery. The family is given resources to get up to speed on addiction and an affordable treatment plan. This process is completed over Zoom and typically takes 2 or 3 meetings.

Consideration is given to any conversations that might be considered by the AP to be “behind their back”. To prevent an AP from feeling betrayal we often invite them to be a part of Level 1 work; it is an intervention that doesn’t feel like an intervention and has a very positive outcome.

As the family becomes educated on the plan for treatment, everyone in the network will become an interventionist. Often placement in treatment happens without a formal intervention.

Level 2 – Soft Confrontation

When an AP will not engage with the intervention, we use our plan to “get in front” of them. The first attempt to talk to the ILO happen over Zoom, inviting an ILO to a Zoom meeting is less confrontational than a meeting in person as the AP doesn’t feel boxed in “on their own property”.

Level 2 meetings are about the immediate plan for recovery and the meetings are moderated to avoid looking back at the painful past, focusing on the solution, not the problem. The task-at-hand is to get the AP to enter a recovery program.

There may be several level 2 meetings that include an expanded network; we will be looking for influential people, grandparents, old friends, former teachers, work colleagues.

Most interventions are successful at Level 2.

Level 3 – Hard Confrontation

A Level 3 intervention is confronting the AP with the intervention network. Level 3 is as an escalated option, and in most situations, we try to avoid a Level 3 meeting.

There are significant safety issues, such as dangerous drug use, drinking and driving, or a danger to others, a Level 3 intervention happens very quickly. The goal of a Level 3 meeting is an immediate admission into a treatment program to prevent imminent negative consequences.

Level 4 – Law Enforcement or EMS

In some cases, the ILO is too sick to engage logically in any treatment options. If they are at risk of overdose, or have significant mental health deficits, such as drug induced psychosis, admission to a hospital for detox and / or psychiatric stabilization may be the only option.

A Level 3 intervention is done to ensure a facility-to- facility transfer of the AP.

The levels above may be used at different times and can be cycled through quickly, it is always the goal to keep the process non-confrontational and positive.

Intervention Timeline Example

Day 1

  • Introductory call
  • Current situation assessed by Adam Banks Recovery
  • Safety of family and AP is considered
  • Is this mental health and/or addiction?

Network reviews, “Pre-Intervention Guide” and video course

Day 2

  • First Zoom with support network
  • Financial considerations of treatment options – budget created
  • Addiction recovery, importance of 30, 60, 90 days
  • Review in-network and out-of-network treatment options
  • Goals of treatment for network

Insurance card submitted to ABR

Network reviews, “Navigating Recovery”, Preparing for Facility Placement, Understanding Addiction Before the Intervention

Day 3

  • Zoom education session with network, AP maybe invited
  • Education on addiction and recovery options
  • Identify secondary crisis
  • Appropriate treatment facilities considered
  • Plans for treatment placement, transportation, pets, employer, child care, financial

Call treatment centers for information

Network reviews: Choosing a Treatment Center: 10 Questions to Ask, The Other Crisis, All I Want is for Them to Stop Drinking

 Day 4

  • Zoom education session with network, AP is invited
  • Finalize treatment center selection
  • Organize family support for secondary crisis
  • Prepare for intervention, select time and location
  • Prepare individuals statements for intervention

Write statement for intervention

How to Prepare for a Zoom Intervention

Day 5: Intervention

  • Transport to facility
    Detox

The Week Before Treatment: Life After the Intervention

Week 2

Facility Placement

  • Follow up Zoom sessions as needed
  • Regroup with network to create new plan as necessary (in person intervention)
  • Prepare network for calls to leave by AP

Network reviews: Common Rehab Tall Tales and What to Expect when a Family Member Checks into Treatment

 Week 3 & 4

AP in treatment, transition to network support

  • Weekly Zoom sessions with network
  • Creating a supportive environment for AP
  • After care plans put in place (IOP / Sober Living)

Network Reviews: The Addict Family System and the Roles we Play and Returning Home for Treatment – Considerations for the Family

Month 2

Family plan aftercare / reintegration

  • Support for re-integration
  • Aftercare plan put into action, therapy, sober living, 12 step meetings, IOP
  • High intensity around reintegration, transition back home or to sober living

Network Reviews: Family Recovery Agreement and Emotional Detachment Supports Health Recovery

Month 3 & Beyond

After care support

Weekly Zoom sessions with AP and networkNetwork Reviews: Where Are My Amends and Trauma

 

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.

The Other Crisis

A woman thinks about a problem next to a window.

 

It is easy to identify a family’s primary crisis, the addicted person. We know that they are on a path of destruction and they have likely caused significant damage prior to an intervention. Underneath the damage lies a secondary crisis. 

Forms of a Secondary Crisis

  • Retired parents spend limited money to help their adult child; paying the mortgage, rent or giving an allowance.
  • Abuse or theft towards elderly parents by an addicted person (AP).
  • Spouse/partners lying to “cover up” what is actually going on in the home.
  • Spouse/partner that has been isolated from family, or family has been turned against the healthy spouse that is doing their best.
  • Stressed out partner effectively raising children alone to “keep it all together.”
  • Child Protective Services involvement.
  • Financial problems of the AP and their family, money is missing or not going to the family as a whole.
  • Intense arguing in a couple, yelling and possibly safety issues.
  • Children having enough emotional intelligence to understand that one of their parents is acting weird.
  • Adult children that argue with their parents about how to handle an addicted sibling.
  • Adult children that no longer have a relationship with a parent that is addicted.
  • Parents that spend time worrying and arguing about the addicted person.

The family desperately wants to fix the primary crisis of getting their loved one sober. The AP is a wildcard; we don’t know if or when they will choose recovery. However, we can start to fix the secondary crisis immediately. This will bring the family recovery no matter what the AP decides. 

Consider how much time and energy the family spends talking about the AP.  We often hear from a concerned parent, “It’s all I can think about.” Collectively the family can identify the problem, but they often overlook the negative effects that the addiction is having on themselves.

The first step in solving the secondary crisis is to begin practicing “detachment.” Addiction is a tornado that sucks in everything around it. Detachment is the process of stepping out of the path of the tornado and helping the family find shelter. Remember, The AP’s mess is not your mess and you will not stop it by confronting it on your own. 

Alcoholics Anonymous

Al-Anon, a mutual-help group for people with alcoholic friends or family members, pioneered the idea of detachment with love. Most Al-Anon meetings begin with this reading:

“Detachment is neither kind nor unkind. It does not imply judgment or condemnation of the person or situation from which we are detaching. Separating ourselves from the adverse effects of another person’s alcoholism can be a means of detaching: this does not necessarily require physical separation. Detachment can help us look at our situations realistically and objectively.

Alcoholism is a family disease. Living with the effects of someone else’s drinking is too devastating for most people to bear without help. In Al-Anon we learn nothing we say or do can cause or stop someone else’s drinking. We are not responsible for another person’s disease or recovery from it. Detachment allows us to let go of our obsession with another’s behavior and begin to lead happier and more manageable lives, lives with dignity and rights, lives guided by a Power greater than ourselves. We can still love the person without liking the behavior.”

Al Anon teaches us: 

  • Not to suffer because of the actions or reactions of other people
  • Not to allow ourselves to be used or abused by others in the interest of another’s recovery
  • Not to do for others what they can do for themselves
  • Not to manipulate situations so others will eat, go to bed, get up, pay bills, not drink, or behave as we see fit Not to cover up for another’s mistakes or misdeeds
  • Not to create a crisis
  • Not to prevent a crisis if it is in the natural course of events

Detaching with Love

By learning to focus on ourselves, our attitudes and well-being improve. We allow the alcoholics in our lives to experience the consequences of their own actions. Families must allow the AP to learn from their mistakes in order to detach with love. This includes taking responsibility for ourselves and how we handle our loved ones’ addiction. 

In the end, it will be up to the AP to choose recovery. The first step can only be made with their willingness. When we stop trying to control the AP, we let go of the secondary crisis and allow our loved one to choose recovery on their own. 

With this perspective, we can see that detachment with love introduces the possibility of a better life to the addict. When they see their family take accountability, and realize their options have run out, they are more likely to follow suit. 

Families who drop the secondary crisis and detach with love will feel a major weight lift from their shoulders. There is a deep sense of burden being removed because the family is now responding with a collective choice, rather than an anxious enablement for the addiction. Removing emotional reactions allows us to meet the AP where they are, with love and understanding. The key to a successful intervention is to stop being responsible for the addicted person. Instead we must be responsible to both them and ourselves. 

 

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 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 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. 

The Hard Road to a Happy Life

The Hard Road to a Happy Life

I draw a parallel between using drugs and a ride in an amusement park. Just like a roller coaster, drugs have an exhilarating aspect, but we don’t go to the amusement park every day. We enjoy the ride and move on to the next thing; our experience becomes a memory – not a way of life.

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ROI on Addiction Recovery

ROI on Addiction Recovery

When putting a dollar value on recovery, consider how much money you would pay to change everything in your life. How much would you pay to keep your children? How much would you pay to keep your job? How much would you pay on your child’s behalf to totally change their life? How much would you pay to have four more hours in a day?

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