Alcohol Intervention

An alcoholic family member can leave a trail of devastation and destruction behind them, many families are at a loss as to what to do next. Some families break up and this is sad for the children of an alcoholic parent as the subsequent repercussions can wreck havoc on their lives in years to come.

One of the most striking features of alcohol dependency include denial or an inability to gain insight into the issues their addiction is causing. It bodes a family well to understand that alcohol dependency and addiction is a serious illness like diabetes or even cancer. It is made up of many parts mainly genetics and family environment when the patient was younger. This can remove some of the anger and stigma attached to alcoholism. It can happen to anyone and most of all trying not to make the addicted person feel worse but, rather empowering them is the best route to go.

At times due to lack of insight into the problem, a staged alcohol intervention is suggested. There are certain ways to go about this without causing further damage to the family or the addict.

Most addiction rehabilitation centers do have professionals on call to assist families with an alcohol intervention. This is planned weeks in advance and certain family members, close friends and even work colleague's may be called in to help should they want to.

In basic terms this is how an intervention is carried out:

The People Who Are Part Of The Intervention Care.

You may have various people wishing to join in on the alcohol intervention. Some may be angry at the addict at this time, so do check that their basic approach is one of care. They should actually want the alcoholic to get the help they need and to assist in their recovery. This is not a time to berate the addict, name call or point out in a none helpful way their wrong doings.

There Should Be A Main Speaker

Any intervention is an emotional time for all. The alcoholic will probably be taken off guard and feel ashamed and angry at all the wrong things he or she has done in the eyes of the people who care. Also, the members of the intervention may be very emotional at this time. Choose a main speaker who can steer all members onto the right path of discussion and avoid any fertile accusations or insults. If you are unsure of whom that person could be, call on the help of the Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center's resources. They will be happy to supply you with a go between at this crucial time.

Have The Chosen Rehabilitation Center Ready

If you carry through your intervention and it is a success, make sure you have chosen a center beforehand. With an addict it is better to 'strike while the iron is hot'. The intervention may have brought home the reality of the situation and there is no time like the present. If you have an intervention expert with you, make sure they have the transport to get your family member to the rehab of choice and quickly.

Do Not Involve Children In Alcohol Interventions

Stick to adults, interventions by their very nature can bring up some hard to hear truths, common sense says to keep children out of such an emotional situation. A lot of the information discussed would not be digested well by a child. Keep the members to a maximum of eight. If there are too many this can lead to bedlam and disorder. The addict could feel overwhelmed.

Each Person Puts Things Down In Writing

Each person should write down the facts of the disturbing behavior that has occurred. Writing it down enables people to stay on topic as well as to not leave out any important factors. The 'complaints' should simply include facts for example:

'When you are drunk you get angry and break things, this is not acceptable to me'

or:

'When you go on a bender I get afraid as I do not know where you are and I panic'

Place Firm Boundaries

As each person reads their list of issues to the addict they also need to start placing boundaries. This is hard as many family member's love the addict and do not want them to suffer any more than they already have. In the end though if you want to save a person's life it is paramount to set boundaries, but with love and care. Some boundaries can be:

'If you get into trouble with the law, I will no longer be able to bail you out, I love you enough to trust you to take care of this yourself'

An alcohol intervention is tough, but the rewards are great if handled correctly. Due to this process millions of addicts are helped every year, and go on to lead fruitful lives. Do rely on any help offered by the Alcohol Rehabilitation Centers and get as much information as you can before your alcohol intervention.