Pros and Cons: Interventions

In some situations, before an individual enters a residential drug and alcohol treatment, the individual is often confronted by a gathering of close family and friends. This gathering is called an intervention and usually involves a moderator in the form of a representative of the particular residential treatment facility that the person will be attending. The purpose is to have the addicted person recognize that they have a problem that is affecting more than just them, or at least remind him or her of how serious their effect is, case they forgot it. This is due to the fact that, in many cases, addiction consumes an individual to the point of total negligence of their effect on anyone but them self. So, in this sense, an intervention can be the wake-up call that a person needs to motivate them towards recovery.

On the other hand, due to the nature of alcoholism and drug addiction, an intervention can come at the wrong time and may be an extra chunk of money wasted on the afflicted person. Depending on where the individual is at that day, in their process of addiction, can make or break the usefulness and effect of an intervention. They could be overwhelmed with guilt, but act the opposite, lashing out at everyone in the room, making the group trying to help this person feel even worse. But, on the whole, this is a relatively rare scenario in comparison to the situation described above. It is even possible that the moderator of the intervention can be used as an anchor that causes the alcoholic or addict to feel comfortable with where they are about to go. The possibilities are endless. So, if you and your loved ones have the finances and recognize that your addicted person is a timid one; don’t rule out of possibility of an intervention.