Selecting the right mix of people for the intervention team is a critical process. I suggest forming a team of anywhere from six to ten family members and/or friends who are very close to the addict, have direct experience with the addict’s disease, and whom the addict respects and cares for. There are some other factors to consider, but that is a rough paradigm of what I look for in a team.

Sometimes an issue develops where there is a potentially valuable team member who has their own substance abuse problems. Do you immediately discount this person? If they are present during the intervention, will they be a saboteur?

Well, in some cases it will be readily apparent that an individual may not be appropriate for the intervention. On the day of the intervention, you’ll need all team members sober, calm and compassionate throughout the process. If they can’t maintain that criteria, they shouldn’t be asked to participate.

If you have a team member who is a drinking or using buddy, that fact alone does not necessarily warrant summary exclusion from the process.   Sometimes a drinking partner is a very close friend or family member that can be a tremendous asset to the intervention process.  One of the concerns typically voiced by family members is how can a drinking partner seriously sit before the addict and attempt to convince them that they have a problem and that they need treatment when they too have a problem with addiction.

The answer to this dilemma is to make sure the drinking buddy is aware that his behavior must change and to make sure that information is expressed to the addict. I’ve had some cases where the drinking buddy recognizes the need for and benefit from treatment and makes the decision to enter treatment on their own.  When this information is revealed during the intervention, it tends to have a powerful effect on the addict the family is intervening on.  Among other things, it shows that changes are already occuring in the people who are close to the addict and it serves as motivation for the addict to make his own change.

Interventions have the ability to not only motivate the intended addict to receive the gift of treatment, but also provide incentive to others in the group that may be suffering from the same addiction.  For more information visit www.stevenlodgeinterventions.com or call 866 534 4443.