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on a Love First intervention

When we do a good, structured family intervention for addiction, we want to use the power of love and concern in a specific and organized way to break through our loved one’s denial and defenses, and bring them to a moment of clarity where they will accept the help we are offering. The goal is to get them appropriate treatment. Furthermore, we want to bring the whole family system into recovery — to make a home for recovery in our home.

Whether you are working with a professional interventionist or not, developing a comprehensive plan of action is vitally important. One-to-one sessions, bargaining and threats don’t work. We need the power of a group.

Feeling ready vs. Getting ready

One of the greatest blocks to taking action is the false belief that we have to feel ready to take action. We don’t need to feel ready–we need to get ready. We need to get new information, develop a new strategy and take action. If everyone waited until they felt ready, very little would get done in the world.

Taking action is an act of faith. As Helen Keller so beautifully said: “Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.”

Faith in the process is what gets us ready for action. We take the first step in the right direction. We learn what works. We come together as a family and make the best decision on how to proceed.

Intervention as Spiritual Negotiation

Intervention becomes a true spiritual negotiation when it’s founded on a pledge to act with virtue and integrity. We do not battle addiction with anger, judgement, or blame. Instead, we reach out to the true person behind the addiction using love, compassion, honesty, and a vision for the future.

Somewhere far beneath the addiction, inside the captive heart, the true spirit hears the voice of love calling.

In that moment, our loved one stops listening to the voice of addiction. They listen to our voice instead and trust us. In that moment, we move the person we love into the first stage of recovery. This is the power of the well-prepared group process we call a Love First Intervention.

Working Together Works

Love First intervention starts with the basic premise that working together works. Great accomplishments are not achieved alone.

Vince Lombardi, the famous football coach, pointed out that individual commitment to a group effort is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.

It also makes a family work. The group wields more power than any individual.

Underestimating the Power of Addiction

Before attempting an intervention, learn how to do it properly. It’s not unusual for some families to resist new information. They prefer to think up solutions on their own.

This is a sign that the family is underestimating the power of addiction. They want to help their loved one, but they don’t have the necessary skills.

We need to put our homespun ideas aside and let someone show us the way. Keep reading to learn more.

“Intervention, like most everything in life, depends more upon our willingness to prepare than our desire to succeed.” -No More Letting Go

Our Loved One is Not Our Adversary

The disease may be our adversary, but the addicted person is not. We can imagine the alcoholic or addict as a hostage who has been brainwashed by his captors. We are calling out to him, but he doesn’t know he needs saving.

Intervention is a plan to subdue the addiction long enough to move our loved one into treatment.

Easy First Steps

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Let’s talk

Tell us about your situation. There is no fee for a brief call. 888-220-4400 We will help you find a way forward. Or, visit the Consultation Page.

Meet our Team

Jeff and Debra Jay have been helping families since 1993, and they have assembled a great team of professional interventionists. Meet our clinical team.

Listen

We offer very informative podcasts that are all 5 minutes or less. Listen to the Snap Trainings for Families.

Podcasts & Videos

Free tools to guide you through the process–the Intervention Workshop podcasts & videos.

Read "Love First"

Love First is the best-selling book on intervention since 2000. Order online or download, or get an audiobook.

Checklist

Whether you are working with a professional or working on your own, you will benefit from our Intervention Checklist.

Putting the Family Back on Course

A Love First intervention changes a family’s thinking patterns. It is thought realignment, moving us toward a sense of purpose, productive behavior, accurate thinking, and clear goals. Intervention gets us to connect with knowledgeable people and communicate on a meaningful level.

When our thinking is straightened out, our lives return to order. Intervention is not just for the benefit of addict. It is a way of thinking that helps everyone who participates. A Love First intervention puts the entire family back on course.

In the words of entrepreneur W. Clement Stone: “Have the courage to say ‘no.’ Have the courage to face truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.”