What Happens if a Drug Intervention Fails?
The goal of an intervention is to help an addicted loved one start their recovery. Planning ahead and working with a professional interventionist can help make your intervention successful. But even if you do everything right, it’s still possible that your loved one may refuse help. This doesn’t mean that you did anything wrong but rather that your loved one is not ready to admit their problem and envision a life of recovery.
At Bridge The Gap, we work with families to create productive, engaging interventions. However, recovery is a journey and each journey has a unique start. This is why we want families to be informed on the different outcomes they may experience.
What Does it Mean When an Intervention “Fails”?
A failed intervention essentially means that the addict refused treatment. But we are careful to use this term because we believe that most interventions are helpful. Maybe the person wasn’t ready to accept help, but the intervention made them realize the extent of their problem. If the family meeting starts a healthy conversation and gets family members on the same page, this is a good thing.
Not to mention, an intervention is not a one-and-done deal. While you can’t have too many too close together, you can wait some time and try holding another intervention at a later date. Even if your loved one refuses treatment, it’s important to have hope. Most families who have been down this road admit that persistence is key to getting their loved one help.
Why Don’t Interventions Always Work?
There are a number of reasons why interventions don’t always work:
Your loved one may be under the influence. We always recommend choosing a time when the addict is less likely to be under the influence, but sometimes, this can’t be predicted. If your loved one shows up to the intervention high or drunk, it will be hard to have a reasonable conversation with them.
Participants are leading with emotion. Leading with emotion can cause someone to say the wrong thing. Even though you may have been hurt by your loved one, an intervention is not the place to be judgemental or negative.
Your loved one may turn aggressive. When people feel judged, they’re more likely to act out. If your loved one turns violent or aggressive, you may have to stop the meeting for your safety and theirs. They could also walk out on their own if they choose.
Your loved one refuses treatment. Even if everything goes well, there’s no guarantee that your loved one will agree to get help. It’s difficult to force a person into treatment, so you need to wait until your loved one makes this decision for themselves.
What’s the Next Step if the Intervention Doesn’t Work?
When you work with Bridge The Gap in Thousand Oaks, you’ll have a game plan for the intervention itself as well as how to handle things afterward. If your loved one does not accept drug rehab, this does not mean that things go back to the way they were.
Here are the steps we recommend taking:
Follow through with your promises. You must have consequences in place if your loved one refuses treatment. Consequences are important because they prevent enabling behaviors.
Avoid compromising. Addicts like to be in control, and your loved one may still try to manipulate you. In reality, your loved one is not in control and needs help. Do not accept any compromises or bargains.
Hold another intervention. Some addicts need to see that their families mean business. If you follow through with your consequences and stay strong as a family, a second intervention may push your loved one to accept help.
Stay connected. Stay in close contact with your family. After an intervention, people have the tendency to return to their everyday lives, but there is power in numbers.
How a Professional Interventionist Can Help
In a perfect world, your intervention will be effective and your loved one will accept treatment. Unfortunately, this isn’t the way things work at times. But there are ways to increase the chances for success, and one of them is working with a professional mediator or interventionist.
Bridge The Gap offers interventionist services to families in need. Here are some of the ways we can help with your intervention:
Help family members plan for what to say
Provide resources and treatment options
Address potential obstacles that may arise
Assist families in choosing and following through with consequences
Escort the addict to drug rehab if they agree to get help
Pick a neutral spot to hold the intervention
Contact Bridge The Gap Today
The attitude your family has will be one of the most influential factors in deciding whether or not your loved one seeks treatment. While there are no guarantees, putting together a strong team, planning ahead and working with a professional interventionist will strengthen the chances for a successful intervention.
Bridge The Gap offers therapeutic mentoring services in multiple areas within Northern Los Angeles County. Bridge The Gap is based in Westlake Village, but we provide help to patients in locations ranging from Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, to Sherman Oaks and in Malibu.