Attempting to manage a friend or loved one’s drug addiction can be difficult. It can involve a ton of emotional baggage, making the task not just challenging logistically but emotionally. At some point, a drug intervention may be necessary. Fortunately, there is help for the planning and preparation of a drug and alcohol intervention in Los Angeles. LA Detox has put together the following step-by-step guide for how to plan an intervention. What’s more, LA Detox can put you in touch with a professional interventionist in Los Angeles to help your loved ones overcome their substance use disorder and get their life back.
Addiction is a disease that depends on secrecy. Too often, the family members and friends of the addict enable the addict’s substance abuse by making excuses for them, “covering” for them when they cannot fulfill their work and family responsibilities, or simply allowing the substance use disorder to exist as an open secret.
However, if a family or friend group goes into an intervention with honesty, determination, and a willingness to work, nearly all contingencies of a drug or alcohol intervention in Los Angeles can be planned for. This will ensure that the intervention will run as smoothly as possible.
Most addiction treatment centers can provide counselors who are trained to help families prepare for an intervention. Plus, interventions should always take place in a “controlled” environment, one selected to put the addict in a position in which they are likely to listen. Often, drug and alcohol interventions in Los Angeles take place in the workplace with the full cooperation of the employer.
Sometimes the intervention comes as a total surprise to the addict. However, newer techniques recommend that each member of the intervention team tell the addict that they will be talking with a counselor about their drinking or drug use several days prior to the actual intervention.
Many drug and alcohol interventions these days are led by professional interventionists who are hired by the family or group. A professional interventionist in Los Angeles should always be a qualified mental health professional. In addition, they should have training and experience in addiction treatment. In this way, the interventionist will ensure the intervention goes through a step-by-step process that increases its chances of success.
An intervention is a process whereby all members of a person’s family or friend group come together to present specific behavior in a loving way. When done well, the intervention experience can be powerful for everyone involved. For this reason, LA Detox has created a do-it-yourself guide for planning a drug and alcohol intervention.
However, if you feel you need professional assistance in staging an intervention, let our team of mental health professionals at LA Detox assist you in this task.
Anyone who genuinely cares about the individual who is facing addiction will likely want to be part of the intervention team. However, inviting all that want to participate is not likely a wise choice.
It is important that you be selective on who attends the intervention for a number of different reasons. Your choices could negatively impact the decision to seek drug or alcohol addiction help.
It is best to choose loved ones that are a positive influence in the life of the addict. It is also best to only choose those that will be less confrontational. This will usually have the opposite desired effect and can actually hinder the intervention and its goal.
Some individuals to consider to invite to be on the intervention team may be:
Some individuals to NOT invite to be on the intervention team may be:
It is important that the right persons be a part of your intervention team. You only want people who will be there as a positive and proactive part of the process.
If you find yourself in need of the help of a professional interventionist in Los Angeles, feel free to contact us at LA Detox today. We can assist you with this crucial first stage.
A drug and alcohol intervention in Los Angeles from LA Detox will use various different models. The most common of these models is the Johnson Model and Invitational model.
The Johnson Model Overview (Surprise Model):
The Invitational Model Overview (Transparent Model):
It is important to keep in mind that everyone is unique. This is the same with problems or issues when battling an addiction to drugs or alcohol.
Many professional interventionists in Los Angeles use a combination of these models to fit the individual best and give them the best chance at a successful recovery from substance abuse.
Once you’ve determined who is part of your intervention team and which model your team will utilize to perform the intervention, the next step is to gather all information. Gather information on their unique addiction problems and circumstances and research whichever treatment options are available.
Make sure the intervention team openly discusses all of the information they know regarding the individual. This includes their “drug of choice” and their daily routines or habits. Once there is a consensus on the kind of substances they are abusing, it is time to seek out available addiction treatment options.
Most addiction treatment programs will offer free assessments like at LA Detox. Assessments help to explain the different types of addiction treatment programs that are available. They also assist with figuring out the financial requirements for these programs.
Make sure someone on the team has as much personal information available on the addict. If insurance needs to be applied for or used, the process can be reviewed before the intervention takes place.
Finally, make sure there is a treatment option immediately available. You never want to have any individual agree to get addiction treatment and then not have a treatment option immediately available. Not being able to follow through with some kind of treatment plan for that individual is a sure-fire way of diminishing any attempts, even future ones, to seek help for them.
Discuss with your intervention team who can help financially or with rides to and from treatment. Have everyone on the intervention team give a commitment to something they can contribute if they agree to treatment that will support the individual fighting for a chance at lasting sobriety and improved mental health.
At this stage of the process, it is time to decide where exactly is the best place for the drug and alcohol intervention in Los Angeles to take place.
If your intervention team has chosen the Johnson Model, then it is important to determine a safe and private location to hold the meeting. It’s also important to get the individual facing the addiction to show up on time to the meeting place.
It is not recommended to do this in a family member’s home or anywhere else the addict is comfortable with because this poses a greater flight risk. Consider choosing a motel or hotel meeting room, a private community center, a local church, or another local business that can offer privacy for all the emotions to be able to play out without disturbance.
If your intervention team has decided to go the route of the Invitational Model, then it is important to consider the individual’s needs when deciding where to seek addiction treatment assessment help from.
Take into consideration the surroundings and what kind of place will your loved one be more receptive to. Would it be better in a professional building setting versus a medical office-style setting? If you know your loved one does not like hospitals, a medical building is probably not the best option.
The goal is to have the addict feel comfortable during the meeting. This is because they need to agree to addiction treatment.
Once the place is set, now you will need to choose a day and a time that is best for the individual. Remember, this meeting is for them. You should not be choosing a location and time that is only convenient for the intervention team.
If you know your loved one stays up all night binge drinking, then setting the intervention in the morning, even late morning, leaves a less likely chance that they will show up. Poor planning can ruin the chances of a successful intervention.
Remember, this could be their last chance at sobriety, so you should keep their needs at the forefront of the entire process.
Everyone on the team will need to have something written and be prepared to openly discuss the individuals’ struggles with addiction during the drug and alcohol intervention in Los Angeles. They should also be prepared to discuss the consequences if they deny addiction treatment help.
These written statements should be detailed personal statements on how the addiction has negatively affected their own life as well as the life of the addict. However, just telling your loved one how much they have hurt you or themselves will usually not be enough to convince them that it is time for a change.
Also, include in your statements positive things about the individual. These will help to remind them of what life was or could be like without the hassles of being addicted.
First, start with the hard stuff like the negatives of their addiction and the further consequences if they deny the treatment being offered. But, try to end on a more positive note like the hope for their future upon completing treatment.
Reading out loud, these kinds of statements can assist the individual in making a rational decision. You can discuss how the addiction impacts their relationships, both negative and positive. Most importantly, the consequences of not accepting help. Your loved-ones struggle with addiction impacts more than just themselves.
These written statements should be full of love and always emotionally honest. However, do avoid including any personal attacks since this will only become counterproductive. Instead, stick to facts, logic, and honest emotions that hopefully will help the addict desire to seek change.
Also, be sure to follow through on your own promises. You never want to promise addiction treatment help and not be able to follow through; the same goes for setting the boundaries. Each person on the intervention team needs to have consequences that will be the result of the addict refusing or stopping addiction treatment.
To give your loved one a real chance at success, you must stay firm in your resolve on clear boundaries. Show by example that the intervention team will no longer enable or allow the addict to continue on their destructive path. It is imperative that these consequences are discussed and are honored.
An intervention’s main goal is to convince a person that they need to seek addiction treatment. As a participant, you must make sure that you are willing to follow the best possible plan to allow your loved one a chance at sobriety.
During any drug and alcohol intervention in Los Angeles, emotions run high and low. This also is greatly affected depending on what kind of substance they are addicted to.
That is why it is so important to rehearse reading your impact statements together with the intervention team. It is also a good idea for the intervention team to engage in “role play” rehearsal so that the team is prepared for whatever response their loved one will give.
It is also important to rehearse so that each statement is delivered with intention. Determining who will speak first and the order in which the statements follow is imperative to this stage in the process.
Once this step is completed, it is time for the intervention to take place. Say a prayer, get a good night’s sleep, and make sure your stomach is full.
Now no matter what happens, your intervention team came prepared with love, truth, and support. It is now the individual’s turn to take the next step.
Do you know someone in need of an alcohol intervention in Los Angeles? Maybe you’re planning an intervention for drug addiction? If so, the medical professionals of LA Detox can help.
We provide the resources and strategies needed to empower people to get sober and stay sober. We can put you in touch with a professional interventionist in Los Angeles to help your loved ones overcome their substance use disorder and get their life back. It’s time to take the first step towards lasting recovery. Contact us today!
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