The Basics of an Alcohol Intervention: Loving the Person with an Alcohol Problem

A friend of mine ask if I would manage an intervention for a member of her family. I wrote these guidelines for. an intervention. I hope you can benefit!

About the Intervention Team for Alcohol Problems

The following guidelines are flexible. The strategies of the intervention need to be tailored for each family.

For the purpose of these guidelines, the person with the drinking problem will be referred to as “patient.” 

The intervention team is an interventionist and a team of two or more people who are affected and have recent knowledge of the identified patient. Family members work the best. 

The interventionist needs to be a Licensed Mental Health Professional in whatever state they practice in. They also should have a speciality in addictions treatment. 

It is important for team members to be patient. It is better to move methodically and have the best shot at success. 

The person making the initial inquiry or their designate, will be considered the team leader. 

The interventionist and the team leader will screen potential team members.

About the process of intervention: Screening 

The interventionist will guide the family through screening, coaching before and during the intervention. Sometimes the family would prefer the interventionist not be present during the intervention. 

Screening and coaching is typically a minimum of 4 sessions plus the intervention itself. 

The screening and coaching is critical to ensure the family is appropriate for an intervention and to prepare the team for the intervention. 

Team members will be screened for their effectiveness. Some of the items to consider are

• The team member’s relationship to alcohol. Are they currently drinking? Are they willing to stop drinking during the intervention process?
• The team member’s willingness to keep confidentiality during the coaching process. Secrecy is important in order to catch the patient off guard in order to crack through denial.
• The team member’s relationship to the patient? The relationship can be an asset or a deficit to the intervention. 
• The team member’s willingness to take direction from the Interventionist and Team Leader.
• The team member’s willingness to be educated on drinking problems.. Such education will include, yet will not be limited to signs and symptoms of drinking problems, denial and defenses of drinking problems and associated family members, and the addictive personality.

 

About the process of intervention: important guidelines

• The team members need to write down and rehearse what they will say to the alcoholic in the intervention. This includes emotions and specific incidences about the alcoholics behavior.  “I am scared and sad because of your drinking. I remember last week when you went to Johnny’s Tball game, you were drinking. You were so loud that I could see the parents were uncomfortable with your yelling during the game.Johnny was embarrassed” 
• In the case of outpatient treatment, the patient will probably need a psychiatrist.
• Team members need to periodically tell the patient that they have a drinking problem and they expect the patient to seek help. If a team member can deliver this message when the patient is awakening from a bender, they may be more amenable to treatment. Depending on the severity of the alcohol problem, the team needs to find suitable treatment, either outpatient or residential treatment. If the alcohol problem is severe, then the patient will need a residential treatment facility and a detoxification unit. In these cases, the intervention is facilitated by the patient going directly to detox after the intervention.
• The team members need to write down and rehearse what they will say to the alcoholic in the intervention. This includes emotions and specific incidences about the alcoholics behavior.  “I am scared and sad because of your drinking. I remember last week when you went to Johnny’s Tball game, you were drinking. You were so loud that I could see the parents were uncomfortable with your yelling during the game.Johnny was embarrassed” 
• The team is exposed to ongoing education about drinking problems. The more team members understand about the nature of drinking problems, the more the team can come to a place of love and compassion for the patient. This does not mean that anger is an ineffective intervention skill, anger just needs to be measured. 
• The team needs to consider leverage. An  example of leveraging could be “if you are unable to go to treatment, you need to move out” or if “you refuse treatment you will not be able to see your grandchildren.” Team members need to mean what they say. Leveraging around the patient’s need not be an idle threat. 

References

Nakken, C. The Addictive Personality: Understanding the Addictive Process and Compulsive Behavior. Hazeldon. Center City, MN 1988