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Substance Abuse/Addictions: Intervention & Counseling

Intervention is the planned and orchestrated confrontation of the chemically dependent person by significant people in his or her life. It is a technique used to break down defenses created in the addicted person's life and ultimately motivate him or her to seek treatment. It is done with the facilitation or assistance of a trained professional.

Intervention Outline

Step 1: Select a qualified Counselor or Therapist
Adventist Hinsdale Hospital can provide you with the resources to locate a qualified addictions professional specializing in intervention. Our staff can be reached 24-hours a day, seven days a week.  Please call (630) 856-7750.

Step 2: Recruit Intervention Team
With the assistance of the intervention specialist, you will recruit friends, relatives and co-workers who have been affected by the addicted person's use. The Intervention Team must love and care about the addict and be willing to stick by him or her through the process. The chemically dependent person must not be aware of the process or it could undermine your success.

Step 3: Understand The Disease of Addiction
You will learn that chemical dependency is a disease, not a moral weakness. Addicts are not bad people wanting to be good, they are sick wanting to be well. You will begin to understand that "co-dependency," is a condition experienced by those people in the addicted persons life experience. These conditions include enabling behaviors which contribute to the continual use by the person; feeling that all of your problems are caused by the person's use, and other painful and subtle consequences.

Step 4: Examine Your Feelings
The Intervention Team members will have a chance to share their feelings with a professional counselor and with each other. The support of the professional will help you deal with the inevitable anger, hurt and disappointment. Remember that you are not alone and that healing for your and the chemically dependent person will take time. They did not become addicted overnight.

Step 5: Rehearse the Intervention
The Intervention Team will meet and have a "dress rehearsal" exactly as if the addicted person was present. Be sure sanctions and consequences are honest and realistic. Treatment logistics must be prepared before the actual intervention.

Step 6: Set Date & Time for Intervention
Make sure that the chemically dependent person is chaperoned to the appointment. Create a believable excuse (example: "the boss wants to see us"). Set the standards of the intervention; it will not work if anyone involved is under the influence.

Step 7: The Intervention
Present the chemically dependent person with the data and feelings about their use in a caring and concerned manner in order to motivate them to other professional treatment. You have to make sure the person understands that every piece of data we present is based on our concern for his or her chemical use and the problems, harmful consequences and inappropriate behavior it causes.