Family Intervention
Family intervention is a method that uses the power of love and concern to break through denial and get a person into treatment. By organizing family members and friends in a very specific way, we are able to get results that were impossible in the past.
Here's an excerpt from the best-selling book on intervention, Love First, by Jeff Jay and Debra Jay:
"Intervention is the most effective technique families can use to help a loved one suffering from chemical dependency --alcoholism or other drug addiction. It is also the most ignored. But just as CPR is often the first, life saving step in helping a heart attack victim, intervention is the most powerful step that a family can take to initiate the recovery process.
"There are many common misconceptions about intervention. Some think it is an emotional ambush or an uncaring attack. But Love First demonstrates that intervention is a carefully planned process founded on love and honesty. Many people have heard about tough love where tough comes first; this book puts love first.
"Through our work in intervention, we have found that love is a powerful force when confronting addiction. In the past, expressions of love were delegated to a few brief sentences during an intervention. We've learned that when we expand the role of love in intervention, it is love that first breaks through denial, not toughness. Using love first, we often never have to use tough love."
The keys to a successful intervention are planning, preparation and technique. Many families think they've tried everything, but on closer examination their best efforts have failed because they've been unwittingly working against each other. The alcoholic or addict often plays one person off against another, keeping the family off balance.
Intervention unifies the family and gets everyone working together. Before the intervention ever takes place, the team goes through a planning a rehearsal process that leaves nothing to chance. For example, here is an intervention checklist.
A family intervention begins with one person looking for a way to end the problems caused by alcoholism or other addictions. Those who love the alcoholic put aside everything they think they know, and begin anew. With a thorough and updated education, the family makes a well-informed decision about intervention.
There are several ways to educate yourself on intervention. You can hire a professional interventionist to guide the family. The interventionist will help you decide if intervention is right for your family and how best to help affected children. He or she will also lead the intervention.
To find an interventionist in your hometown, call a local alcohol and drug treatment center. If none is available locally, call a nationally recognized treatment center like Hazelden that maintains a list of interventionists who work nationwide. When contacting an interventionist outside your hometown, ask if he or she offers initial family consultations via telephone conferencing calls. You may also contact us to inquire about our pessional intervention services.
You can also educate yourselves using low-cost resources on intervention. You can get the best-selling book Love First from almost any library or bookstore — it is very wideley available. If you need a professional later, you can make the investment then.
We also offer a comprehensive online video course on intervention. This method will take you step-by-step through the whole process, using streaming video. You can watch the video right now on your computer for about the cost of one hour of clinical treatment. To learn more, click here.
Once family members and close friends understand that intervention is based on love and dignity, it is likely they will support taking this well-planned, highly successful approach to helping a loved one.
How do you know? If you're not sure if your loved one has a problem with alcohol or other drugs, take this quiz.
For a comprehensive overview of the intervention 
process, read Jeff Jay's six articles on intervention.