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Planning a Holiday Intervention

Staging an intervention during the holidays is not ideal. But if you see symptoms of addiction in a loved one, this time of year can provide a powerful opportunity to ask other family members for support. There are some key steps you can take to prepare for a holiday intervention and help your loved one live a happier, healthier life.

How to Prepare For a Holiday Intervention

The holidays can be stressful for many reasons, so you must recognize this when planning your interventions. Use it to your advantage by emphasizing to the people involved that the holidays are the time for friends and family to come together, love, and support each other. If your intervention is properly planned and executed, your loved with eventually understand that it was a gift.

There are several steps you should take to execute an effective family intervention.

Plan Ahead

You must have solutions ready going into any confrontation. Telling someone they have a problem without offering ways out can come across as an attack. Be prepared with suggestions for treatment, how to pay for it, and who is ready to help. Think of any objections your loved one might raise, and be prepared with vital information, such as clear signs of addiction you may have observed. Practice as many times as you need to make people feel comfortable.

Manage Expectations Around Pushback and Denial

Everyone invited to the intervention must be ready for denial and pushback. It may come in the form of yelling and accusations that you don’t love the person you are trying to help. This can hurt, especially around the holidays. Explain to everyone who is going to be involved that they also must commit to not doing things to enable your loved one to use again.

Decide Who Will Speak

You need people who can speak calmly during your intervention. Losing your temper will only give the person you are trying to help a reason to lash out themselves. Everyone involved should project sincerity and love. Stay away from accusatory or demeaning language. Don’t call them an addict or an alcoholic; instead, talk about their substance use.

You must not include people your loved one doesn’t get along with. This could be a coworker or family member your loved one is unlikely to listen to or actively dislikes.

Use a Professional

Professional help is critical to any successful intervention. They can help you with planning and offer tips about how to handle outbursts. They can also give you insights into what types of treatment are available and might be the best fit. 

Rich Whitman from Whitman Recovery Services provides the help you need in planning and conducting a holiday intervention. He is a Nationally Certified Intervention Professional with over 30 years of experience. He helps hundreds of people and their faces every year, and his compassion and dedication can make a stressful holiday intervention one that also leads to the results you and your family need and deserve.

Contact Whitman Recovery Services for Intervention Help Today

You and your loved ones do not have to stand alone in making this holiday the one for meaningful change. If you need help planning and conducting a holiday intervention for your loved one, reach out to Whitman Recovery Services today.