In that alcohol and drug rehab field, the term “Intervention” is defined as a specific activity that convinces an addicted person that he needs the appropriate level of treatment to handle his/her addiction. Because addictive drugs take away emotional pain and dull the senses, users and addicted users are very seldom aware of how destructive their drug using is to themselves and those around them. They are living and what is called “Denial” because they deny that their use of alcohol and drugs is causing as much harm as what their loved ones are telling them.

Statements like “I’m not really addicted, I just use recreationally”, or “It’s not like I am an addict, I can live without these drugs, but chose not to”, and other similar justifications are common with addiction and truthfully, most addicts have very little sense of how much destruction is being created by their continued use. They may feel the obvious effects of drug cravings when the physically addicted, but they have difficulty recognizing that the break

Ever since A & E Television started their “reality” based program called “Intervention”, the American public who have loved ones that are addicted began to believe that there is hope. All alcohol and drug help lines began to get calls that asked about how they could contact someone that is an Intervention Specialist.

However, there isn’t a specialist that has specific education that gives him/her the skills to be a successful interventionist, but most professional, licensed alcohol and drug counselors will be able to refer you to someone that has a successful history in performing interventions.

Obviously this is a crucial decision and must be taken with equivalent seriousness. A life is at stake and appropriate care, understanding and know how must be applied to successfully get the person addicted out of the mess they are in and into the recovery efforts that will save them.

When choosing an interventionist, it would be good to know if their past experience has been successful. By successful I don’t mean getting an addict into treatment, but convincing them that they need and even want to get well and that the treatment center that they will attend is a facility that can give them that new life. Unfortunately, confidentiality laws and customs make it inappropriate to talk to most former clients, but you should ask if there are any families that would endorse the Interventionist’s skills and, if not, then ask to speak to some of the professionals that you have been the recipients of their services; the professionals at the treatment centers where this interventionist has placed some of his clients.

It is also important that you have some understanding of the different types of intervention so that you can help judge for yourself as to whether the methods being used by an individual interventionist are appropriate for your loved one and your family.

Most intervention follow the Johnson Model of intervention which is highly confrontation and requires all of the family that are significant to the addict to, basically, push him into a corner, leaving him without any alternatives other than treatment or being disconnected from the family and depending on his own resources. This may be more than you would want to do and should be determined by a thorough evaluation of the survival capabilities of the addict.

In my history in this field, I have encountered poorly designed interventions that have led to worsened conditions and even death of the addict. In retrospect, these families have had a difficult time accepting the consequences of their efforts to “help”.

One should always remember that the alcohol and drug rehab field is not a well developed, scientifically based process with trained procedures and predictable outcomes. This field is evolving and over time things have improved, but certainly not at the pace needed to combat the alcohol and drug problem.

You will be best serviced if you call the Rehab Dallas office and speak to one of their experienced and educated counselors who can help you determine which method of intervention and treatment works best for your loved one.