Holding an alcohol intervention in Philadelphia or any US city for a friend or family member that needs it, is an important step in helping them identify that there is a problem. Many people that have problems with alcohol will never know that they have a problem unless their loved ones tell them about it – and being told by a group is more effective as it’s less easy to dismiss. However, an alcohol intervention can sometimes go poorly. The following are five ways that you can screw up an alcohol intervention:
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Diagnosing their problem – Don’t label them as an alcoholic during the intervention. First of all, you don’t know how severe their problem is – only a professional can evaluate that. Calling them an alcoholic may offend them and cause them to deny the diagnosis, which in turn will cause them to deny that they have a problem.
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Waiting too long – Sometimes it can be difficult to accept that a friend or family member has a problem. It can be difficult to overcome this denial yourself. But if something happens where it’s obvious that they need help, you need to stage an intervention right away. If you wait too long after a particular incident, the person will more easily be able to convince themselves that nothing’s wrong.
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Making empty threats – Decide with the group the consequences that you are willing to outline to the person you’re holding the intervention for. For example, if you’re speaking to your spouse, you could threaten separation. But if you’re speaking with someone who is a medical professional, you can’t threaten to take away their medical license since you have no say over this. You should also be aware of the potential consequences of your threats – you don’t want them to endanger themselves or others as a result.
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Involving the wrong people – Make sure everyone taking part can follow through. You don’t want anyone taking the side of the person the intervention is for. Everyone needs to be on the same page.
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Not stopping soon enough – Once the goal of getting the person to accept they have a problem and that they’ll seek help, you should stop the intervention immediately – you don’t want to harass or embarrass them.
If you are planning on holding an alcohol intervention in Philadelphia or any US city for a friend, family member or loved one, make sure that you don’t make any of these five mistakes. There is much more to know before conducting an intervention. Please call us today to assure the best results and we’ll help you get started, that’s what we do.