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How To Stage An Alcohol Intervention 

Living life with a loved one who has a drinking problem can be one of the toughest experiences a person can face. You may be angered and frustrated when your numerous attempts to get them to stop drinking have been dismissed as you simply being a "party pooper". But when you know your family member, friend, or spouse is an alcoholic who simply can't listen to reason the last course of action might be to plan an intervention to get your loved one to finally get the picture.

Before considering an intervention, you should know that the ultimate goal is for the alcoholic-whether it be your friend, spouse, or other family member-to willingly accept that their problem is hurting themselves as well as the people they care about and enter a treatment facility.

Who to Ask for Help

But who do you contact in such a situation? First, you should try and reach a substance abuse counselor who can be present at the intervention and help mediate the entire affair. During interventions, pleas for a sober lifestyle are often seen as personal attacks by the person with the drinking problem. A counselor can not only advise you on what to say, but they can also help determine how to best help the person with the drinking problem.

The last thing that you want during an intervention for an alcoholic is for the person being intervened upon to enter a state of shock and storm out in a rage, only to go to the bar or liquor store. One method of preparing an alcoholic for an intervention is to mention that you have been speaking to a professional about their problem, more importantly, a professional who wants to get them help. Dropping subtle hints about something as major as an intervention can be risky business, so make sure to speak to a counselor if you're not quite sure what to do.

One of the people who would perhaps like to see your alcoholic friend or family member get sober that you might not have even considered is their employer. More frequently interventions for alcoholics take place at the place they work, because it is one of the few places they go where they aren't too terribly drunk. Make sure the employer is sympathetic to your plight and understands your intentions, and if you're in doubt about speaking to an employer then ask a counselor first.

The fact of the matter is that interventions are entirely hit or miss. Even with the risk of the intervention failing, if you think that your friend or loved one is putting their life in jeopardy, then an intervention is one of the best things you can do to reach out and save them.

Carrying out an intervention carries so much risk. If the person you love storms out of the intervention and continues drinking, then you have to be prepared to pick up the pieces. Remember, an intervention is in itself an ultimatum, and alcoholics never really know what is best for them. Be prepared for the worst, but hope for the best. I wish you luck.

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